CO-PUBLISHING LICENSING AGREEMENT
Exhibit
10.1
CO-PUBLISHING
LICENSING AGREEMENT
This
License Agreement (“Agreement”),
is
effective as of September 23, 2005 (the “Effective
Date”),
and
is entered into by and between Pixiem,
Inc. (“Pixiem”),
a
Delaware corporation with a principal place of business at 000
Xxxxx
Xxxx, Xxxxx 000, Xxxxxxxxx, Xxx Xxxxxx 00000 and ESPN
Enterprises, Inc. (“ESPN”) a
Delaware corporation with a principal place of business at 000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx,
Xxx
Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000. ESPN and Pixiem are each a “Party”
and
collectively the “Parties.”
WITNESSETH:
WHEREAS,
Pixiem
owns or has licensed the rights to the underlying technology that supports
Wireless Games (as defined below);
WHEREAS,
Pixiem
wants to license ESPN Brands to develop the Wireless Games and in return
ESPN
will receive a royalty from Pixiem’s commercial exploitation of the Wireless
Games;
WHEREAS,
ESPN is
willing to license from Pixiem the Pixiem Technology (as defined below) that
support the Wireless Games (with rights to sublicense to third parties,
including end users, carriers and/or operators), so long as Pixiem ports
the
Wireless Games to local mobile handsets as described on Exhibit
A
(the
“Required
Handsets”),
and
provides internal testing and usability testing with respect to, and conducts
other activities necessary to launch the Wireless Games on the required
handsets; and
WHEREAS,
Pixiem
is
willing to publish, publicize, advertise and market the Wireless Games in
certain territories;
NOW,
THEREFORE,
subject
to the terms, conditions and procedures below, and in consideration of the
premises and of the mutual covenants contained herein, the Parties hereby
agree
as follows:
1.
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Definitions.
As
used in this Agreement, the Parties hereto agree the words set
forth below
shall have the meanings thereby
specified:
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a
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“Confidential
Material” means
any information which is confidential in nature or that is
designated or
identified as confidential by a Party or by any of its affiliates
and that
is furnished by or on behalf of such Party or any of its affiliates
(collectively, the "Disclosing
Party")
to the other Party or to any of its affiliates (collectively,
the
"Receiving
Party"),
whether such information is or has been conveyed verbally or
in written or
other tangible form, and whether such information is acquired
directly or
indirectly such as in the course of discussions or other investigations
by
the Receiving Party, including, but not limited to, trade secrets
and
technical, financial or business information, data, ideas,
concepts or
know-how that is considered and treated as being confidential
by the
Disclosing Party. Confidential Material shall not include information
that: (a) was known by the Receiving Party without obligation
of
confidentiality prior to disclosure thereof by the other party;
(b) was in
or entered the public domain through no fault of the Receiving
Party; (c)
is disclosed to the Receiving Party by a third party legally
entitled to
make such disclosure without violation of any obligation of
confidentiality; (d) is required to be disclosed by applicable
laws or
regulations (but in such event, only to the extent required
to be
disclosed, and provided that the disclosing party is given
the opportunity
to review and redact the Agreement prior to disclosure); or
(e) is
independently developed by the Receiving Party without reference
to any
Confidential Information of the other party. Confidential Information
disclosed in tangible or electronic form shall be identified
by Disclosing
Party as confidential with conspicuous markings, or otherwise
identified
with a legend as being confidential, provided that the absence
of such a
xxxx or legend shall not preclude disclosed information which
would be
considered confidential by a receiving party exercising reasonable
business judgment from being treated as confidential information
by
Receiving Party;
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b. | “ESPN Marks” shall mean the ESPN logos, trade names, trademarks and other indicia of origin associated with ESPN mutually agreed upon by the Parties to utilized in connection with the Wireless Games; |
c. | “ESPN Territory”shall mean the United States of America and its territories and possessions, and such other territories as mutually agreed upon by the Parties and territories as totally agreed upon by Parties in writing; |
d. | “Expenses” shall mean (i) refunds or rebates, (ii) other commissions or fees paid to unrelated third parties connected or related to the exploitation of the Wireless Games e.g., wireless carriers, operators, platform vendors, and/or (iii) taxes (excluding income taxes) or other fees paid to government entities) e.g. VAT and sales taxes; |
e. | “Gross Revenue” shall mean all revenue that either ESPN and/or Pixiem receives from the carriers as a direct result of the carriers’ permitted licensing of the Wireless Games; |
f.
|
“Intellectual
Property”
means anything that is or may be protected by an Intellectual Property
Right such as, but not limited to works (including computer programs),
performances, discoveries, inventions, trade-marks (including trade
names
and service marks), trade secrets, industrial designs, Confidential
Material (including Confidential Material as defined herein), mask
work
and integrated circuit
topographies;
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g.
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“Intellectual
Property Rights”
shall mean all copyrights (including, without limitation, the exclusive
right to reproduce, distribute copies of, display and thereupon
perform
the copyrighted work and to prepare derivative works), copyright
registrations and applications, trademark rights (including, without
limitation, registrations and applications), patent rights, including
registration and application, trade names, mask work rights, trade
secrets, moral rights, author’s rights, algorithms, rights in packaging,
goodwill and other intellectual property rights, and all divisions,
continuations, reissues, renewals and extensions thereof, regardless
of
whether any such rights arise under the laws of the United States
of
America or any other state, country or jurisdiction, and all derivative
works of any copyrighted work;
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h.
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“Launch
Date” shall
mean the date of the first commercial sale on which a Pixiem Royalty
and/or ESPN Royalty is due hereunder;
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i.
|
“Xxxx”
means trade names, trademarks, service marks, logos, marks or
other
business identifiers and elements thereof of any entity, and
includes
Pixiem Marks and ESPN Marks;
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j.
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“Net
Revenue”
shall mean Gross Revenue less Expenses;
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k.
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“Pixiem
Marks’”
shall mean Pixiem’s logos, trade names, trademarks and other Intellectual
Property Rights owned by Pixiem, or licensed to Pixiem by third
parties;
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l.
|
“Pixiem
Technology”
shall mean the underlying background technology that
Pixiem or any of its affiliates owns prior to the development
of, or
independent of, the Wireless Games.
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m.
|
“Pixiem
Territory”shall
mean territories
and controlled possessions of countries in North
America, South America, Europe, Asia, and such other territories
as
mutually agreed
upon by Parties
in
writing;
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n.
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“Publisher”
means the party responsible for licensing the Wireless Games to
distribution channels (e.g., mobile carriers);
and
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o.
|
“Wireless
Games”
shall mean the multi-player or single-player mobile wireless games
described
on
Exhibit
B
as
attached hereto. Exhibit
B
shall be periodically updated with the addition or subtraction
of other
wireless games as mutually agreed to by the
Parties.
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2.
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Grants.
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a.
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ESPN.
Subject to the terms, conditions and procedures of this Agreement,
Pixiem
hereby grants to ESPN an license solely within the ESPN Territory
and with
respect to the Wireless Games (i) to exploit, including without
limitation, sell, transfer and/or sublicense, the underlying technology
of
the Wireless Games and (ii) to promote, advertise, publicize, market
and
utilize the underlying technology of the Wireless Games (the “ESPN License”)
via all means and media, now known or hereafter revised, to end-users.
ESPN is not obligated to exploit any of its rights under the ESPN
License,
and makes no representation, express or implied, that it will do
so.
Notwithstanding
the foregoing, use of ESPN’s website from outside the ESPN Territory by
end-users seeking to access the Wireless Games shall not be deemed
a
breach of this Agreement. Royalty
rates payable from purchases through the ESPN website will be based
on the
physical location of the end user’s mobile carrier.
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b.
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Pixiem.
Subject
to the terms, conditions and procedures of this Agreement, ESPN
hereby
grants to Pixiem within the Pixiem Territory during the Term;
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(i)
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a
non-exclusive non-transferable limited license to use, reproduce
and
distribute the Wireless Games to end users solely for play on a
handset
via a wireless telecommunications network in the Pixiem
Territory;
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(ii)
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a
non-exclusive non-transferable limited to use ESPN Marks in pre-approved
promotional and marketing materials, content directories and indexes,
and
electronic and printed advertising, publicity newsletters regarding
the
Wireless Games; and
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(iii)
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a
non-exclusive, non-transferable limited license to use, reproduce
and
distribute “unbranded” versions of the Wireless Games to end users solely
for play on a handset via a wireless telecommunications network
in those
territories within the Pixiem Territory in which ESPN has declined
to
permit Pixiem to distribute the Wireless Games. An “unbranded” version of
a Wireless Game shall mean versions of the Wireless Games that
do not
contain any ESPN Marks.
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c.
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Limitations.
Pixiem’s rights hereunder are strictly limited to the distribution or
exhibition of the Wireless Games as provided herein, and in no
event shall
Pixiem distribute or authorize the exhibition of the Wireless Games
via
any other means or media. Furthermore, Pixiem shall strictly limit
its
distribution and exhibition within the Pixiem Territory and Pixiem’s
failure to comply with restrictions set forth in this subsection
2(b)
shall be deemed a material breach of this Agreement and an infringement
of
ESPN’s rights.
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d.
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Use
of Marks.
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(i)
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Pixiem
may only use ESPN’s Marks in connection with a use that has been approved
by ESPN in writing in its sole discretion. Uses that are not approved
in
writing shall be deemed disapproved. Any permitted use by Pixiem
of ESPN’s
Marks shall be in strict compliance with each of the following
terms and
conditions: (a) Pixiem shall strictly comply with all standards
with
respect to the use of ESPN’s Marks as provided in Exhibit
C;
(b) Pixiem shall not create a combination xxxx consisting of one
or more
Marks of each Party, (c) all uses of ESPN’s Marks shall be to the benefit
of ESPN and Pixiem acknowledges and agrees that ESPN is the owner
of
ESPN’s Marks, (d) Pixiem shall not use, register, or attempt to register,
in any country, any name or trademark identical or confusingly
similar to
ESPN’s Marks.
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(ii)
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Neither
ESPN nor Pixiem shall use the other Party’s Marks without their written
permission. Except and only to the extent specifically set forth
in this
Agreement, Pixiem shall not acquire any right under this Agreement
to use
the Wireless Games or the names ESPN Marks “Disney,”“ESPN,”“BVIG,”
or the names of any other ESPN and/or its affiliates (either alone
or in
conjunction with or as a part of any other word or name) or any
fanciful
characters or designs of any ESPN affiliate (a) in any advertising,
marketing campaign, publicity, or promotion; (b) to express or
to imply
any endorsement of Pixiem's products or services; or (c) in any
other way.
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e. |
Acknowledgements. The
parties acknowledge and agree that ESPN hereby reserves the right
to
exclusively license the ESPN Marks to a Third Party Distributor
to sell,
distribute, market, promote or otherwise exploit a sports game,
including
but not limited to, the wireless titles contained in Exhibit
B,
on a wireless device via a telecommunications network. In the event
ESPN
elects to grant such right to a Third Party Distributor on an exclusive
basis, ESPN shall provide Pixiem at least one year written notice
with
respect to such election and Pixiem shall cease to sell, distribute,
market, promote or otherwise exploit the applicable Wireless Game
prior to
the end of such one year sell-off period and this Agreement shall
terminate forthwith. For purposes of this Section 2 only, “Third
Party Distributor”
shall mean a distributor that has released a game using ESPN Marks
on any
of the following platforms (i) television console video game players
(e.g., Sony Playstation, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Microsoft
Xbox,
Xbox 2, Nintendo GameCube, and each of their successor devices,
and newly
introduced devices, the principal purpose of which is, and which
are
marketed and promoted as being principally for, game playing);
(ii)
handheld video game devices (e.g., Nintendo GameBoy Advance, Nokia
N-Gage,
Nintendo Dual Screen, Sony PSP and each of their successor devices,
and
newly introduced devices, the principal purpose of which is, and
which are
marketed and promoted as being principally for, game playing);
and (iii)
Windows and Macintosh-based personal computers.
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In
the
event that ESPN requires Pixiem to cease selling one or more Wireless Games,
then the minimum revenue guarantee set forth in Exhibit B for that year and
all
years going forward shall be reduced by twenty percent (20%) per game. If
ESPN
requires Pixiem to cease selling all Wireless Games, then Pixiem’s minimum
revenue guarantee shall be completely eliminated. Pixiem shall have no minimum
marketing obligations with respect to any Wireless Games that it is required
to
cease selling.
f.
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Music
Related Rights and Restrictions.
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(i)
|
Pixiem acknowledges and agrees that ESPN is not granting any rights to the underlying compositions and/or sound recordings related to the Wireless Games. Pixiem shall not synchronize any of the musical compositions, or any part thereof, with any visual images. |
(ii) | To the extent that Pixiem has obtained any necessary blanket performance licenses from the applicable performing rights societies, it shall be responsible for maintaining such rights. |
3.
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Ownership.
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a.
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Ownership
of the Source Code and Pixiem Trademarks.
Except as specifically set forth in this Agreement, nothing herein,
nor
the exercise of any rights granted to ESPN hereunder, conveys to
ESPN any
right, title and interest in the underlying source or object code
of the
Wireless Games or Pixiem Marks.
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b.
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Ownership
of ESPN Properties.
Except with respect to subsection 2(b), nothing herein, nor the
exercise
of any rights granted Pixiem hereunder, conveys to Pixiem any right,
title
and interest in and to any ESPN Marks. ESPN shall own all right,
title and
interest in the user interface and “look-and-feel” of the Wireless
Games.
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c.
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Goodwill.
All goodwill or reputation in the Pixiem Marks or (within the ESPN
Marks)
automatically vests in Pixiem or ESPN, respectively, when such
Marks are
used.
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4.
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Services
to be performed by each
Party.
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a.
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Services
to be performed by Pixiem. Pixiem
shall have the following rights and obligations at its sole cost
and
expense:
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(i)
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Develop
the following single-player mobile Wireless Games, and provide
without
charge, updates, new versions, patches and/or releases, as
commercially
available throughout the Term;
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(ii) | Deliver the Wireless Games to end users, carriers and/or operators; |
(iii)
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Pixiem
will design a user interface, and will integrate content, data
and ESPN
Marks provided by ESPN into the Wireless Games. Pixiem shall
develop the
Wireless Games in accordance with the product design specifications
(“Specifications”),
as agreed to by both Parties. The Parties shall agree to the
Specifications as soon as commercially practicable, but in no
event later
than thirty (30) days from execution of this Agreement. In the
event the
Parties fail to reach agreement, both Parties shall have the
right to
terminate this Agreement without any obligation to the other.
Except for
the content provided by ESPN, Pixiem shall provide or obtain
any necessary
programming and production services and materials (e.g.,
artwork, music, and sound) to implement the Specifications. Pixiem
shall
be solely responsible, in connection with ESPN’s use of the Pixiem
Technology as permitted hereunder, for (a) obtaining any required
consents
or licenses (including any required synchronization licenses)
of
artist(s), actors, performers or copyright proprietors of the
compositions, scripts or performances contained in the Pixiem
Technology;
and (b) payment of all fees, royalties, performance licenses,
or other
payments which may be required to be paid to any labor union,
including
without limitation, any required re-use payments and any other
payments to
ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, the American Federation of Musicians and/or
the
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, as a result
of the
use of the Pixiem Technology;
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(iv)
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Port
Wireless Games to the Required Handsets attached hereto as Exhibit
B,
and such other mobile handsets as may be mutually agreed upon
by the
Parties in writing;
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(v)
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Conduct
internal testing and obtain certification that the Wireless Games
function
properly on the Required Handsets in the ESPN Territory and the
Pixiem
Territory, i.e.,
have passed the testing criteria required by Veritas and NSTL,
or provide
ESPN with the necessary materials as specified by NSTL and carrier
requirements for game submission. Pixiem must submit the Wireless
Games
for all X-Games titles, ESPN Rodeo and ESPN GOG Sporting Dogs
titles, as
of the date hereof. Pixiem will be responsible for all handset
porting as
described in subsection 4(a)(iii);
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(vi)
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Work
with ESPN to maintain carrier and operator
relationships;
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(vii)
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Manage
hosting and delivery of the Wireless Games to local mobile handsets
from
its demarcation point
to carrier networks;
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(viii)
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Integrate
community features, as mutually agreed to by the parties in writing,
into
each Wireless Game (e.g., high scores, message
boards);
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(ix)
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Pixiem
may use third parties to provide any or all components of its
hosting and
storage services, subject to obtaining written agreement to abide
by the
terms of this Agreement (to the extent applicable) and to permit
ESPN to
have sole approval over any aspect of use that involves any ESPN
Marks;
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(x)
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Pixiem
will, at its sole expense, use best efforts to promote the Wireless
Games
through all of its or its affiliates’ distribution channels including via
Mobile operators, MVNOs, OEMs, ISPs, portals, and other programming
partners;
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(xi)
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Publish,
market, advertise, publicize and promote the Wireless Games within
the
Pixiem Territory;
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(xii)
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Provide
ESPN with a summary of the terms of its agreements with each
mobile
operator with whom Pixiem intends to publish a Wireless Game
at least
ninety (90) days in advance. If ESPN is able to publish a Wireless
Game
with that operator on more favorable terms to ESPN, ESPN may
exercise the
option set forth in Paragraph 4(b)(ii);
and
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(xii)
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Subject
to the conditions, terms and procedures of this Agreement, Pixiem
will use
commercially reasonable efforts to perform ancillary services
that are
necessary, proper and/or advisable in connection with this Agreement,
including but not limited to attending meetings and providing
necessary
updates to the underlying technology of the Wireless Games.
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b.
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Services
to be performed by ESPN. ESPN
shall have the following rights and obligations at its sole cost
and
expense:
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(i) |
Publish,
market and license the Wireless Games within the ESPN Territory,
subject
to the prior reasonable approval of Pixiem. Pixiem hereby approves
the
Mobile ESPN service in advance;
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(ii) | Review the Wireless Games and provide to Pixiem any change requirements for the Wireless Games within ninety (90) business days prior to handset porting process; and |
(iii)
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If
ESPN is able to publish a Wireless Game with a mobile operator
on
financial terms that are more favorable to ESPN than it would
receive if
Pixiem published a Wireless Game with that operator, then ESPN
may, by
giving written notice to Pixiem, publish the Wireless Game with
such
operator. If ESPN exercises the foregoing option, it shall be
responsible
for promptly publishing the Wireless Game with such mobile operator
and
taking all commercially reasonable steps necessary or desirable
in
connection with such
publication.
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c.
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Restrictions
on Pixiem.
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(i)
|
Except
specifically provided for herein, Pixiem agrees not to permit any
Wireless
Games to be downloaded to any Required Handset outside of the Pixiem
Territory.
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(ii)
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Pixiem
agrees not to permit the download of the Wireless Games to any
handset or
device, other than the Required Handsets listed on Exhibit B and
any
future handsets mutually agreed upon by the
Parties.
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5.
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Division
of Revenue.
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a.
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Payments.
The
Parties acknowledge that carriers (e.g.,
Verizon, Sprint, etc.) shall be responsible for collecting payments
from
their end users for access to the Wireless Games. The carriers
shall be
instructed to remit the retail price proceeds minus any cost charged
by
the carriers, adjustments, refunds and/or applicable
taxes.
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b.
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Taxes.
Neither party hereunder is liable for any income tax obligations
to which
the other party is subject. If, pursuant to applicable tax law,
a
withholding tax is or reasonably could be imposed (as reasonably
determined in good faith by Pixiem) on Pixiem’s payments to ESPN, Pixiem
may deduct from such payments the appropriate (as reasonably determined
in
good faith by Pixiem) amount of withholding taxes so imposed. In
addition,
Pixiem and ESPN agree that:
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(i) |
All
sums payable by Pixiem hereunder shall be due and payable in United
States
dollars and paid by telegraphic transfer to ESPN's bank account.
Except as
provided below, Pixiem shall not deduct or withhold any tax from
the
amounts due to ESPN under this Agreement and all payments shall
be net of
any customs, bank or transfer or similar fees or charges. If pursuant
to
the applicable tax law, a withholding tax is imposed on Pixiem’s payments
to ESPN, Pixiem may deduct from such payments the appropriate amount
of
withholding taxes so imposed, on the express condition
that:
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(A) contemporaneously
with each payment under this Agreement, Pixiem furnishes ESPN all withholding
tax receipts or other government certifications evidencing all taxes withheld
from such payment;
(B) Pixiem
cooperates with ESPN and furnishes ESPN with any other information or
documentation reasonably requested by ESPN from time to time so as to enable
ESPN to adequately support any foreign tax credit claimed by ESPN that is
attributable to the taxes withheld by Pixiem;
(C) to
the
extent the relevant income tax treaties provide for an exemption from or
a
reduced rate of withholding for taxes with respect to payment, consideration
or
remuneration under this Agreement, Pixiem shall apply such exemption or reduced
rate of withholding in deducting from any amount paid pursuant to this Agreement
and shall assist ESPN in filing any documentation necessary for Pixiem to
apply
such exemption or reduced rate of withholding;
(D) in
addition to any and all legal and equitable rights and remedies available
to
ESPN, Pixiem indemnifies ESPN for any disallowed foreign tax credits, including
any interest and penalties associated with such disallowed foreign tax credits,
attributable to Pixiem's failure to timely provide the documentation required
hereunder and otherwise comply with the provisions of this subsection;
and
(E)
Pixiem's
obligations under the provisions of this subsection survive termination,
cancellation or expiration of this Agreement.
c.
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Royalty.
In
consideration for the licenses granted in Section 2 of this Agreement,
the
parties agree to pay each other the royalty amounts set out in
Exhibit
B
attached hereto during the Term. After the termination or expiration
of
this Agreement ESPN shall have no further obligation to Pixiem
in the
future regardless as to whether ESPN continues to sell, distribute,
market, license or otherwise exploit the Wireless
Games.
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d.
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Payment
and Reports.
The Publisher shall pay the Royalty amounts, and provide a royalty
report,
within forty-five (45) days after the end of each calendar quarter
during
which such Net Revenue was collected. The royalty report shall
detail
Gross Revenue received and the deductions thereto, Pixiem royalties,
ESPN
royalties, and an itemized listing of purchases per title for each
Wireless Game, for each Wireless Carrier. The
Publisher shall deliver the royalty report whether or not any Royalty
is
actually due for the affected calendar
quarter.
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e.
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Audits.
During the term of this Agreement, and for a period of two (2)
years
thereafter, the parties may, at its expense, inspect the books
and records
of each other directly related to its receipt of Gross Revenue
by an
accountant mutually acceptable to the Parties, not more than once
per
calendar year, upon reasonable prior written notice, during normal
business hours. The royalty reports are considered final, and not
auditable, after twelve (12) months from the date of delivery to
the
respective Party. Should an audit reveal an underpayment to either
Party
of ten percent (10%) or more, the offending Party shall reimburse
the
other for the reasonable audit costs associated with this Agreement
plus
any underpayment.
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6.
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Advertising.
ESPN
shall own all ad inventory (and retain any revenue associated therewith)
in connection with any advertising or promotion appearing within
or in
connection to a Wireless Game. Pixiem may not sell advertising
nor target
only those consumers who have signed up to receive the Wireless
Games
solely because of their subscription to such content, e.g., no
targeting
of an “ESPN user base”. Pixiem may advertise the existence of the Wireless
Games subject to ESPN prior approval of such marketing
materials.
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7.
|
Support
Service.
Pixiem is responsible for providing Tier 2 and Tier 3 support to
ESPN and
the carriers distributing the Wireless Games prior to the Launch
Date for
each Wireless Game. In the event ESPN is unable to secure, at rates
and
under terms and conditions reasonably acceptable to ESPN for Tier
1
support from the carriers, then Pixiem shall also provide such
support. If
ESPN causes a carrier to provide Tier 1 support then Pixiem shall
also be
promptly available to answer questions related to the Tier 1 support
provided to the end-users for such carriers (or ESPN). Pixiem agrees
to
respond Tier 2 problems within two (2) business hours of a request
to do
so, and to Tier 3 problems within five (5) business hours of such
a
request, and to work expeditiously, ahead of other commitments,
to resolve
issues related thereto. In the event Pixiem is responsible for
Tier 1
support, it shall respond to Tier 1 questions within fifteen (15)
minutes
of a request to do so; provided however if Pixiem is responding
directly
to a consumer, the response time shall be within three (3) rings
and in
any event less than sixty (60) seconds on hold time. Pixiem shall
insure
that its help desk representatives are monitored, (i.e.,
notice to end-users that conversations may be recorded), so as
to enable
it (or ESPN) to confirm compliance with the terms of its support
obligations. Pixiem shall configure its systems to permit ESPN
to monitor
simultaneously if desired. If in the determination of ESPN, the
Parties
are unable to obtain such commitments from the wireless carrier,
Pixiem
will assume such Tier 1 responsibilities only upon a renegotiation
of the
Pixiem Royalty of this Agreement, based upon the documented costs
of
providing such Tier 1 services, in connection with this Agreement
to the
wireless carrier. For purposes of this Agreement, “Tier
1 Customer Support”
shall include questions and issues dealing with basic use and features
of
the Wireless Games (e.g.,
“How customers use the games”); “Tier
2 Customer Support”
shall include issues dealing specifically with handset functions
and
platforms developed by Pixiem and “Tier
3 Customer Support”
shall include issues specific to Pixiem functionality and platforms
developed by Pixiem.
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8.
|
Term
and Termination.
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a.
|
Term.
The term of this Agreement (the “Term”)
shall begin on the Effective Date and expire three (3) years after
the
Launch Date of the Wireless Games, unless terminated earlier pursuant
to
this Agreement.
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b.
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Termination
for Failure to Meet Specifications.
If
any of the handsets on the Required Handsets do not pass internal
testing
or certification, Pixiem shall correct the problem as soon as reasonably
practicable and resubmit for internal testing or certification,
but no
later than thirty (30) business days after notification of the
problem. If
Pixiem fails to meet the conditions of this subsection 9(b), ESPN
shall
have the sole right to terminate this Agreement upon thirty (30)
days’
prior written notice.
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c.
|
Termination
for Material Breach.
Either party may terminate this Agreement for a material breach
by the
other party that is not cured to the reasonable satisfaction of
the
non-breaching party within such 30-day period; provided however,
that with
respect to Wireless Games already delivered and paid for, Pixiem’s sole
remedy shall be an action at law for damages (and not a right to
terminate
the Agreement).
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d.
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Termination
for Convenience.
This Agreement may be terminated by ESPN, on ninety (90) days’ written
notice to Pixiem, at any time for any reason whatsoever.
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e.
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No
Prejudice.
Save as otherwise provided above, the Parties’ right to terminate this
Agreement is without prejudice to, and shall not affect any other
remedies
available to Parties.
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9.
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Confidentiality
Agreement.
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a.
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Confidential
Material.
For a period of one (1) year after Confidential Material is disclosed,
the
Receiving Party shall not use Disclosing Party’s Confidential Material for
any purpose other than to exercise or perform its rights or obligations
under this Agreement. Receiving Party shall not, without the prior
written
consent of Disclosing Party, copy or otherwise reproduce Disclosing
Party’s Confidential Material, or disclose, disseminate or otherwise
communicate, in whole or in part, Disclosing Party’s Confidential Material
to any third party except to affiliates, officers, directors, employees
or
advisors (including, but not limited to tax and legal representatives)
of
Receiving Party who need to know the Confidential Material and
who will
have undertaken to treat the Confidential Material in accordance
with the
provisions of this Section. Receiving Party further agrees that
it shall
safeguard Disclosing Party’s Confidential Material from disclosure and,
use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure non-disclosure, which
efforts shall be commensurate with those Receiving Party uses to
protect
the confidentiality of its own Confidential Material. In the event
that
Receiving Party becomes compelled by law or order of court or
administrative body to disclose any Disclosing Party’s Confidential
Material, Receiving Party shall be entitled to disclose such Confidential
Material provided that: (i) Receiving Party provides Disclosing
Party with
prompt prior written notice of such requirements to allow Disclosing
Party
to take any necessary action to safeguard the Confidential Material;
and
(ii) if required to do so, Receiving Party shall furnish only that
portion
of Disclosing Party’s Confidential Material which is legally required to
be disclosed and shall exercise its commercially reasonable efforts
to
obtain assurances that Confidential Material will be treated in
confidence.
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b.
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Remedies.
Receiving Party acknowledges and agrees that Disclosing Party may
be
irreparably injured by a breach of this Agreement and that Disclosing
Party may be entitled to seek equitable relief, including a restraining
order, injunctive relief, specific performance and any other relief
that
may be available from any court to prevent breaches of this Agreement
and
to enforce specifically the terms and provisions hereof in any
action
instituted in any court having subject matter jurisdiction, in
addition to
any other remedy to which Disclosing Party may be entitled at law
or in
equity in the event of any breach of the provisions hereof. Such
remedies
shall not be deemed to be the exclusive remedies for a breach of
this
Agreement, but shall be in addition to all other remedies available
at law
or in equity.
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c.
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Return
of Confidential Material.
Upon the Disclosing Party’s request and, in any event, when this Agreement
has expired or terminated, the Receiving Party will promptly return
to the
Disclosing Party or destroy, except for one copy of Disclosing
Party’s
Confidential Material, which may be retained for evidence purposes
only:
(i)
all Confidential Material that has been supplied by the Disclosing
Party
and is in the Receiving Party’s possession or control, except for any
ESPN’s Confidential Material that is part of the Wireless Games;
and
(ii) all analyses, studies, or other materials, or part thereof,
that were
created by the Receiving Party and that are based on or contain
Confidential Material of the Disclosing
Party.
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Licensing
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d.
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Ownership.
Nothing in this Section 9 is to be construed as granting Receiving
Party
any title, ownership, license or other right or interest in any
of
Disclosing Party’s Confidential Material, or to any Intellectual Property
Right of Disclosing Party therein.
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e.
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Independent
Information.
The Disclosing Party acknowledges that the Receiving Party may
develop
information internally or receive information from other parties
that is
similar to the Confidential Material. Accordingly, nothing in this
Agreement should be construed as a representation or agreement
that the
Receiving Party has not or will not develop or have developed products,
concepts, systems or techniques contemplated by or embodied in
the
Confidential Material, provided that the Receiving Party does not
violate
any of its obligations under this Agreement in connection with
such
development. No discussions and/or communications between the Parties
hereunder or otherwise will: (i) serve to impair the right of either
Party
to develop, make, use, procure, and/or market products or services
now or
in the future that other information to the other; (ii) result
in any
obligation on the part of either Party to enter into any further
agreement
of any kind; or (iii) constitute an option, grant or license to
the
Receiving party under any patent or other rights now or hereinafter
held
by the Disclosing Party.
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f.
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Survival.
The
restriction or use of Confidential Material shall expire five (5)
years
after the Launch Date.
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10.
|
Warranties,
Indemnification and No Consequential
Damages.
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a.
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Pixiem.
Pixiem
represents and warrants that: (i) the Wireless Games and Pixiem
Technology
do not and will not infringe upon the rights of any person or entity,
including without limitation any Intellectual Property, and will
not
defame or otherwise libel any person, nor violate any law, (ii)
the
Wireless Games and Pixiem Technology are free of viruses, trap
doors,
executable files virus, Trojan horse, worm or any other software
routines
or hardware components designed to disable, erase, or otherwise
harm
software, hardware, data, text or any other information stored
in
electronic form; (iii) the Wireless Games and Pixiem Technology
are either
original to Pixiem, or Pixiem has acquired all necessary consents
and
licenses from any third parties to grant and exercise the rights
in this
(including, without limitation any required of engineers, artist(s),
actors, performers or copyright proprietors of materials contained
in the
Wireless Game and Pixiem Technology); and (iv) it shall be solely
responsible for payment of all fees, royalties, performance licenses,
or
other payments which may be required to be paid to any third as
a result
of the use of the Pixiem Technology or Wireless Game.
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b.
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ESPN.
ESPN
warrants and represents that the titles of the Wireless Games do
not
infringe upon the right of any third party.
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c.
|
Mutual.
Each Party represents and warrants that it owns rights, title and
interest
in the Intellectual Property Rights licensed herein and/or that
it has the
authority to make the transfers and grant the licenses granted
hereunder.
The Parties hereby warrant and represent that they have full legal
rights
and authority to enter into this Agreement and to perform their
obligations hereunder.
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d.
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Indemnification.
ESPN agrees to and shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless Pixiem
and
its affiliates and its and their directors, shareholders, officers,
agents, employees, successors and assigns from and against any
and all
third party claims, demands, suits, judgments, damages, costs,
losses and
expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses)
(collectively, “Losses”)
arising out of any breach or alleged breach by ESPN of this Agreement.
Pixiem agrees to and shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless
ESPN and
its parent and affiliates and its and their directors, shareholders,
officers, agents, employees, successors and assigns from and against
any
and all Losses arising out of (i) the underlying technology of
the
Wireless Games, and/or (ii) any breach or alleged breach by Pixiem
of this
Agreement.
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Licensing
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e.
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Procedure.
The party requesting indemnification (the “Indemnitee”)
shall notify the other party (the “Indemnitor”)
in writing as soon as practicable of a claim for indemnification.
The
Indemnitor shall afford the Indemnitee the opportunity to participate,
at
the Indemnitee’s expense, in the defense of any such claim; provided
however that the Indemnitor shall have the right to control all
aspects of
the handling of such claim, including but not limited to selection
of
counsel, compromise, settlement or other resolution of such claim.
Without
limiting the generality of the foregoing, if the Indemnitor fails
or
refuses to assume the defense of any claim to which its indemnity
applies
(whether or not suit has formally been brought), it shall be responsible
for payment of any settlement of such claim reached by the Indemnitee,
as
well as the costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) as
incurred by the Indemnitee in defending such claim (or reaching
a
settlement). Notwithstanding the foregoing, a party may not settle
or
compromise any claim without the prior express written consent
of the
other party (not to be unreasonably
withheld).
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f.
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No
Consequential Damages.
Except with respect to indemnification claims, neither party shall
be
liable to the other or any third party for any liquidated, indirect,
consequential, exemplary or incidental damages (including damages
for loss
of business profits, business interruption, loss of business information,
and the like) arising out of this Agreement, even if it has been
advised
of the possibility of such damages.
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g.
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Liability
Cap.
EXCEPT FOR A PARTY’S INDEMNIFICATION OBLIGATIONS UNDER SECTION 10; IN NO
EVENT SHALL A PARTY’S TOTAL LIABILITY UNDER THIS AGREEMENT EXCEED THE
TOTAL AMOUNTS DUE BY THAT PARTY TO THE OTHER PARTY DURING THE 18-MONTH
PERIOD PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE
CLAIM.
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11.
|
Non-Disparagement.
Each Party agrees not to disparage the other
Party.
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12.
|
Ownership
of Information.
Any information provided by ESPN to Pixiem shall be exclusively
owned by
ESPN and shall be used by Pixiem solely for purposes that further
this
Agreement. Any information provided by Pixiem to ESPN may be
used by
either Party in any manner.
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13.
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End
User Data and Reports.
|
a.
|
End
User Data.
Subject to the terms, conditions and procedures of this Agreement,
Pixiem
and ESPN may collect, but agree to share with each other, non-personally
identifiable data about customers and their use of the Wireless
Games,
including research reports. ESPN shall own and retain all right,
title and
interest in and to all user data information. In no event shall
Pixiem
sell and/or rent the end user data to any third party.
|
b. | Privacy and Compliance with Laws. Each of Party shall ensure that the collection and use by such Party of any end user information or data in connection with the purchase, use or operation of the Wireless Games complies in all respects with all applicable privacy laws, regulations and policies. In addition, each Party agrees to perform any and all acts necessary to ensure that the collection, use, or disclosure of end user data is in full compliance with all applicable laws relating to the collection of such information, including without limitation all applicable privacy legislation. |
c.
|
Reports.
Each Party will ensure that a monthly report of information in
its
possession for services related to the delivery of Wireless Games,
including: (i) the total revenue associated with the Wireless Games;
(ii)
the number of monthly downloads of Wireless Games by title, the
total
revenue due to the other Party hereunder; and (iii) the number
of times
end users have purchased Wireless Games, (iv) the number of subscription
cancellations for each Wireless Game, and (v) other information
as
reasonably requested by ESPN and readily obtainable by Pixiem.
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d.
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Security.
Each Party shall employ administrative, physical, and technical
safeguards
that are designed to prevent the unauthorized collection, access,
use, and
disclosure of user data (“Security
Safeguards”).
With respect to user data, each Party shall (i) provide at least
the
Security Safeguards it provides for its Confidential Material,
but in no
event less than the industry practice for information security,
as such
standards may change from time to time (the “Security
Standard”);
(ii) encrypt, for transport and storage, all user data in a manner
that a
Party reasonably believes meets or exceeds the Security Standard;
(iii)
inform its employees, agents, and contractors who have a need to
access
and use user data for legitimate business purposes (each an “Authorized
Representatives”)
on privacy, security, and confidentiality obligations hereunder;
(iv)
ensure that only Authorized Representatives may access user data,
on a
need-to-know basis. Each Party is responsible for the acts and
omissions
of its Authorized Representatives.
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Licensing
Agreement
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11
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14.
|
Choice
of Law and Venue. This
Agreement has been entered into and delivered in the State of
New York and
the validity, interpretation and legal effect of this Agreement
shall be
governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws
of the
State of New York applicable to contracts entered into and performed
entirely within the State of New York. Only the New York courts
(state and
federal) will have jurisdiction over any controversies regarding
this
Agreement, and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;
any action
or other proceeding which involves such a controversy will be
brought in
those courts, in New York County, and not elsewhere. Each Party
hereby
irrevocably submits to the jurisdiction of the New York courts
(state and
federal) in any such action or proceeding and irrevocably waives
any right
to contest the jurisdiction (in rem or in personam) or power
or decision
of that court within or without the United States other than
appropriate
appellate courts having jurisdiction over appeals from such court(s).
Each
party also irrevocably waives any defense of inconvenient forum
to the
maintenance of any such action or proceeding. Any process in
any action or
proceeding may, among other methods, be served upon a party hereto
by
delivering or mailing it the addresses first set above. Any such
delivery
or mail service shall be deemed to have the same force and effect
as
personal service within the State of New
York.
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15.
|
Force
Majeure.
No Party to this Agreement shall be liable to the other Party for
any
failure or delay in fulfilling an obligation hereunder, if said
failure or
delay is attributable to circumstances beyond its reasonable control,
including, but not limited to, any fire, power failure, labor dispute
or
government measure (“Force
Majeure”);
provided that, the Party relying upon this Section 16 (a) shall
have given
the other Party written notice thereof promptly and, in any event,
within
five (5) days of discovery thereof; and (b) shall take all steps
reasonably necessary to mitigate the effects of the Force Majeure
Event
upon which such notice is based. The Parties agree that the deadline
for
fulfilling the obligation in question shall be extended for a period
of
time equal to that of the continuance of the Force Majeure. Both
Parties
shall use all commercially reasonable efforts to minimize the effect
of
the Force Majeure on its performance under this Agreement. Notwithstanding
the continuance of an event of Force Majeure, both Parties may
not delay
performance of its obligations under any circumstances by more
than thirty
(30) Business Days, otherwise either Party may terminate this Agreement.
Each of the Parties acknowledge and agree that this Section shall
not
limit the rights reserved under Section 16
hereunder.
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16.
|
Severability.
Each
and every clause of this Agreement is severable from the whole
and shall
survive unless the entire Agreement is declared
unenforceable.
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17.
|
Delivery
of Notices and Payments. Unless
otherwise directed in writing by the Parties, all notices given
hereunder
shall be sent via Federal Express or another equivalent express
delivery
service to the addresses set forth on the first page of this Agreement.
All notices, requests, consents and other communications under
this
Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been
delivered
on the business day after the date sent via Federal Express or
other
equivalent express delivery service. All payments pursuant to this
Agreement shall be made in U.S. Dollars. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
termination pursuant to Section 8 and/or amendments and/or waivers
pursuant to Section 23 may be conducted via
facsimile.
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18.
|
Entire
Agreement. This
Agreement represents the entire agreement, and supersedes all prior
understandings or agreements, oral or written, between the Parties
with
respect to the subject matter
hereof.
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19.
|
Assignability.
Neither
Party may assign this Agreement without the other party’s prior written
permission, except that ESPN may assign this Agreement to any affiliate
company (upon written notice to the Pixiem) so long as ESPN remains
liable
for all of its obligations hereunder. All other assignments, unless
approved in writing, shall be deemed void. This Agreement shall
be binding
upon the successors and permitted assigns of each party.
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Licensing
Agreement
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12
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20.
|
Not
a Partnership. This
Agreement does not constitute and shall not be construed as constituting
a
partnership or joint venture among the Parties hereto, or an
employee-employer relationship. No Party shall have any right to
obligate
or bind any other Party in any manner whatsoever, and nothing herein
contained shall give, or is intended to give, any rights of any
kind to
any third persons.
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21.
|
Counterparts.
This
Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, each of which
will be
deemed to be an original, and each of which alone and all of which
together, shall constitute one and the same instrument, but in
making
proof of this Agreement it shall not be necessary to produce or
account
for each copy of any counterpart other than the counterpart signed
by the
Party against whom this Agreement is to be enforced. This Agreement
may be
transmitted by facsimile, and it is the intent of the Parties for
the
facsimile of any autograph printed by a receiving facsimile machine
to be
an original signature and for the facsimile and any complete photocopy
of
this Agreement to be deemed an original
counterpart.
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22.
|
Amendment
and Waiver.
No
amendment or waiver to this Agreement shall be binding unless approved
in
writing by both Parties. A waiver shall in no event be deemed a
continuing
waiver unless specifically so designated in
writing.
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23.
|
Captions.
Section
or paragraph headings used in this Agreement are for reference
purposes
only, and shall not be used in the interpretation hereof. Words
in the
singular include the plural and vice-versa and words in one gender
include
all genders. The terms “including” and “includes” shall be deemed to be
followed by the statement “without limitation” and neither of these terms
shall be construed to limit any word or statement it follows to
the
specific or similar terms or matters immediately following it.
No
provision of this Agreement shall be construed against either Party
as the
drafter thereof.
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24.
|
Survival
of Agreement. Upon
termination or expiration of this Agreement for any reason, the
following
provisions of this Agreement shall survive: Sections 1, 3, 5(d)-(f),
10,
11(d)-(f), 12-24.
|
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF,
the
Parties have executed this Agreement on the date first set forth above.
PIXIEM INC. | ESPN ENTERPRISES, INC. | ||
/s/ Hong Xxx Xxx | /s/ Xxxxxx Xxx | ||
Hong Xxx Xxx
President and CEO
|
Xxxxxx Xxx SVP
|
||
September 27, 2005 | September 30, 2005 | ||
Licensing
Agreement
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