AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”) is made and is effective as of the 1st day of August, 2003 (the “Effective Date”), by and between Vocus, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Vocus”) and PR Newswire Association LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“PRN”; PRN and Vocus sometimes individually referred to as “Party” and collectively as “Parties”).
WHEREAS, Vocus develops and hosts web-based applications for use on the Internet;
1. Vocus’ Services and Responsibilities.
(i) Vocus shall provide technical support services to all PRN support representatives, consisting of advanced help, troubleshooting, and “bug” fixes, which shall be provided by the appropriate Vocus support services staff.
(ii) Vocus’ Director of Support Services or a designated representative will be PRN’s primary management contact at Vocus for all support issues related to the Agreement. Vocus shall notify PRN promptly in the event this contact changes. The escalation path for support related issues is as follows:
Level I — Support Services Representative
Level II — Support Services Tier II Representative or Supervisor
Level III — Support Services Manager
Level IV — VP Operations
Level V — CTO
(iii) The support services groups for both Vocus and PRN shall provide support services according to a mutually agreed upon schedule.
2. PRN’s Services and Responsibilities.
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3. License. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Vocus hereby grants to PRN, its affiliates and subsidiaries, a non-exclusive (subject to Section 4 below) limited, non-transferable, worldwide license during the Term (i) to access, market and use the Application and any updates thereto or versions thereof in connection with the marketing and sale of the Service, (ii) to use Vocus’ trademarks and logo (the “Vocus Trademarks”) solely in connection with the sale, advertising and promotion of the Service and (iii) to sublicense the Application to those third parties listed on Exhibit A.
4. Non-Compete; Exclusivity. During the Term. Vocus shall not license the Application or any substantially similar applications, excluding VPR, to any direct competitors of PRN listed on Exhibit B attached (as updated from time to time upon mutual agreement of the Parties) hereto without the prior written consent of PRN.
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(d) The Parties acknowledge and agree that in accordance with that certain agreement between Vocus and PRN dated as of March 14, 2001, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit C (the “Original Agreement”), which is superseded hereby, PRN has prepaid certain amounts in respect of the licensing of the Application (“Existing Prepayment”) and any remaining amounts of the Existing Prepayment shall be applied to Royalties that may become due hereunder.
6. Service Trials. PRN is permitted to provide prospective customers with temporary and free use of the Service (the “Trial”) provided that: each Trial term is limited to 72 hours; all Trial customers are identified as such in the Application by a separate customer code, as assigned by PRN; the aggregate number of Trials granted by PRN shall be limited to a number deemed reasonable by Vocus.
7. Warranty and Other Obligations.
8. Ownership.
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source code contained therein, and the Vocus Trademarks, including without limitation all intellectual property rights therein.
10. Representations and Warranties.
(a) By PRN. PRN represents and warrants as follows:
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(i) it has the full corporate right, power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to perform the acts required of it hereunder;
(ii) its execution of this Agreement and performance of its obligations hereunder do not and will not violate any agreement to which it is a party or by which it is bound;
(iii) when executed and delivered, this Agreement will constitute the legal, valid and binding obligation of such Party, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms; and
(iv) it shall not make any use of the Application, the Vocus Trademarks or any other intellectual property of Vocus (the “Vocus Intellectual Property”), or authorize any third party to make any use of the Vocus Intellectual Property, except as specifically permitted pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.
(b) By Vocus. Vocus represents and warrants as follows:
(i) it has the full corporate right, power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to perform the acts required of it hereunder;
(ii) its execution of this Agreement and performance of its obligations hereunder do not and will not violate any agreement to which it is a party or by which it is bound;
(iii) when executed and delivered, this Agreement will constitute the legal, valid and binding obligation of such Party, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms;
(iv) in its performance under and related to this Agreement, it shall comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations, including, without limitation, all intellectual property and export control laws;
(v) it shall not make any use of PRN’s media database, PRN’s trademarks or any other intellectual property of PRN (the “PRN Intellectual Property”), or authorize any third party to make any use of the PRN Intellectual Property, except as specifically permitted pursuant to the terms of this Agreement;
(vi) it shall, at its sole cost and expense, secure and maintain all necessary licenses, permits, authorizations and/or other approvals necessary for its performance hereunder, and shall comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations in the operation of the Application and the Service; and
(vii) it shall utilize technology and security features consistent with reasonable applicable industry standards and will make commercially reasonable efforts to utilize systems that incorporate recent advances and developments in technology.
11. Indemnification. Each Party (the “Indemnifying Party”) will defend (or settle, as applicable), indemnify and hold harmless the other Party (the “Indemnified Party”), and the respective directors, officers and employees of the Indemnified Party, from and against any and all claims, costs, losses, damages, judgments and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or in connection with any third-party claim alleging any breach of such Party’s representations or warranties set forth in this Agreement. The Indemnified Party agrees that the Indemnifying Party shall have sole and exclusive control over the defense and settlement of any such third party claim. However, the Indemnifying Party shall not acquiesce to any judgment or enter into any settlement that adversely affects the Indemnified Party’s rights or interests without the prior written consent of the Indemnified Party. The Indemnified Party shall promptly notify the Indemnifying Party of any such claim of which it becomes aware and shall: (i) at the Indemnifying Party’s expense, provide reasonable cooperation to the Indemnifying Party in connection with the defense or settlement of any such claim; and (ii) at the Indemnified Party’s expense, be entitled to participate in the defense of any such claim. Any failure on the part of the Indemnified Party to promptly notify the Indemnifying Party of any such third party claim shall only relieve the Indemnifying Party to the extent that the Indemnifying Party is actually prejudiced thereby. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL EITHER PARTY BE LIABLE TO THE OTHER PARTY FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES (EVEN IF SUCH PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES AND REGARDLESS OF THE THEORY OF LIABILITY), ARISING FROM ANY PROVISION OF THIS AGREEMENT, SUCH AS, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOSS OF REVENUE OR ANTICIPATED PROFITS OR LOST BUSINESS. THESE LIMITATIONS SHALL APPLY NOTWITHSTANDING ANY FAILURE OF ESSENTIAL PURPOSE OF ANY REMEDY.
12. Term and Termination.
(a) The term of this Agreement shall be three (3) years (the “Term”).
(b) This Agreement may be terminated, without waiver of any or all legal remedies available at law and in equity, as follows:
(i) Either Party may terminate this Agreement after two years by giving written notice to the other Party of its intention to terminate at least one (1) year prior to the intended date of termination.
(ii) Either Party may terminate this Agreement, effective immediately, at any time upon thirty (30) days prior written notice upon the happening of any of the following events:
(A) a Party ceases to function as a going concern or to conduct its operation in the normal course of business, or
(B) a Party becomes involved in financial difficulties resulting in the appointment of a receiver or trustee, establishment of a moratorium
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for the payment of indebtedness, a petition in bankruptcy or an assignment on behalf of a Party’s creditors.
(iii) If either Party commits a material breach of any provisions of this Agreement for any reason, the other Party may terminate the Agreement at any time, if after providing written notice to the breaching Party of the alleged breach or failure, the breach or failure remains uncured for a period of thirty (30) business days after receipt of such notice; provided, however, that a Party shall not be entitled to more than one (1) cure period for the same or similar categories of breaches during the Term of this Agreement.
13. Relationship of the Parties. The relationship of the Parties hereto shall be that of independent contractors with respect to this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to place the Parties in the relationship of partners, joint venturers or agents, and no Party shall have the power to obligate or bind any other Party in any manner whatsoever nor shall any Party have or be deemed to have any fiduciary obligations to any other Party.
14. Force Majeure. If a Party is prevented from performing any of its obligations set forth in this Agreement by reason of an act of God, strike, labor dispute, injunctions, judgments, adverse claims, fire, flood, embargo, delay in transportation, systems failures, including without limitation, public disaster or any other cause or reason beyond the control of a Party, as the case may be, such condition shall be deemed a valid excuse for failure on its part to perform or for delay in the performance of such obligations. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that such failure or delay persists for thirty (30) days, the affected Party may terminate this Agreement immediately upon receipt of written notification of termination.
If to PRN:
|
000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx | |
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000 | ||
Attention: Xxx Xxxxxx | ||
Facsimile: (000 ) 000-0000 | ||
With a copy to its General Counsel | ||
Facsimile: (000) 000-0000 | ||
If to Vocus:
|
0000 Xxxxxx Xxxx. | |
Xxxxxx, XX 00000 | ||
Attention: Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx | ||
Facsmilile: 000-000-0000 |
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All notices shall be effective upon receipt, provided that any notice sent via facsimile shall be deemed effective upon receipt by the sending Party of confirmation of receipt of such facsimile. Either Party may from time to time change its contact person or its address as set forth above by notifying the other Party of such new information in writing.
(h) Choice of Law; Venue. This Agreement shall become valid when executed by both Parties. The Parties agree that this Agreement shall be deemed made and entered into in the State of New York and shall be governed and construed under and in accordance with the laws of the State of New York and applicable Federal Statutes, without giving effect to any conflicts of law principles. Any judicial action or proceeding
shall be brought solely in New York County in the state or federal courts therein and the parties hereby consent to personal jurisdiction therein.
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VOCUS, INC. | PR NEWSWIRE ASSOCIATION LLC | |||||||
By:
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/s/ Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx | By: | /s/ Xxx Xxxxxx | |||||
Name: Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx | Name: Xxx Xxxxxx | |||||||
Title: President & CEO | Title: Managing Director — Targeting Services | |||||||
Date: 8-1-03 | Date: 7/25/03 |
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Exhibit B
Direct Competitors of PRN
The entities listed below will be considered direct competitors of PRN for the purposes of this Agreement. Additions may be made to this list at any time upon mutual agreement by PRN and Vocus.
Business Wire
Internet Wire (MarketWire)
M2 PressWire
Media Link
Bacon’s
Xxxxxxx’x
Xxxx
Media Map
Prime Zone
Xxxxx.xxx
Xxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Pressline
Canada Corporate News
Press Access
Visual Data
CCBN
StreetFusion
Xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Orbis
On24
On The Scene Productions
US Newswire
DWJTV
Xxxx Xxxxx
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Exhibit C
Vocus / PR Newswire Agreement dated March 14, 2001
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VIA FACSIMILE & AIRBORNE EXPRESS
December 8, 2003
Vocus, Inc.
0000 Xxxxxx Xxxx.
Xxxxxx, XX 00000
Attention: Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
RE: Agreement dated as of August 1, 2003 between PR Newswire Association LLC (“PRN”) and Vocus, Inc. (“Company”) for the license of Company’s web-based application (the “Agreement”)
Dear Xx. Xxxxxx:
This letter is an agreement, effective as of Jan. 1, 2004 (the “First Amendment”), to amend the Agreement, as follows:
Section 5(a) of the Agreement shall be deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following new Section 5(a):
“(a) | PRN Payments and Royalties to Vocus. In return for the rights granted herein and all obligations to be performed by Vocus hereunder, PRN shall pay to Vocus a quarterly royalty which shall be equal to the greater of (i) 35% of the aggregate gross revenues for a one-year subscription to the Service or (ii) $600 per one-year subscription per PR Newswire Client for the first seat, and $325 per additional seat sold to such PR Newswire Client. In the event that a Client has access to the Service for less than one year, Vocus agrees to credit PRN the pro-rata prepaid annual royalty for the unused portion of the Service subscription, as determined by the date in which Vocus is notified by PRN of such termination.” |
As amended hereby, the Agreement shall remain in full force and effect. If there is any conflict between the provisions of the Agreement and the provisions of this First Amendment, the provisions of this First Amendment shall prevail.
Vocus, Inc.
December 8, 2003
p.2
Please acknowledge your agreement to the terms and conditions of this First Amendment by signing the duplicate originals. Please return one original to me and keep one original for your files.
Sincerely,
/s/ Xxx Xxxxxx |
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PR Newswire Association LLC |
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By: Xxx Xxxxxx |
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Title: Managing Director, Targeting Services |
Agreed to and Accepted: | ||||||
Vocus, Inc. | ||||||
By: | /s/ Xxxxx Xxxxx | |||||
Name: Xxxxx Xxxxx | ||||||
Title: CFO | ||||||
Date: 12/28/03 |