Shares Alpha and Omega Semiconductor Limited Common Shares (Par Value U.S.$0.002) EQUITY UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
Exhibit 1.1
Shares
Alpha and Omega Semiconductor Limited
Common Shares
(Par Value U.S.$0.002)
April , 2010
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
Xxxxx Xxxxxxx & Co.
As Representatives of the
Several Underwriters
c/o Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
00 Xxxx Xxxxxx, 0xx Xxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
c/o Xxxxx Xxxxxxx & Co.
000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxx
Xxxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxx 00000
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Alpha and Omega Semiconductor Limited, a limited liability exempted company incorporated under the laws of Bermuda (the “Company”), and certain shareholders of the Company (the “Selling Shareholders”) propose to sell to the several underwriters (the “Underwriters”) named in Schedule I hereto for whom you are acting as representatives (the “Representatives”) an aggregate of shares (the “Firm Shares”) of the Company’s common shares, par value U.S.$0.002 per share (the “Common Shares”), of which shares will be sold by the Company and shares will be sold by the Selling Shareholders. The respective amounts of the Firm Shares to be so purchased by the several Underwriters are set forth opposite their names in Schedule I hereto, and the respective amounts to be sold by the Selling Shareholders are set forth opposite their names in Schedule II hereto. The Company and the Selling Shareholders are sometimes referred to herein collectively as the “Sellers.” The Company also propose to sell at the Underwriters’ option an aggregate of up to additional Common Shares (the “Option Shares”) as set forth below.
As the Representatives, you have advised the Company and the Selling Shareholders (a) that you are authorized to enter into this Agreement on behalf of the several Underwriters, and (b) that the several Underwriters are willing, acting severally and not jointly, to purchase the numbers of Firm Shares set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule I, plus their pro rata portion of the Option Shares if you elect to exercise the over-allotment option in whole or in part for the accounts of the several Underwriters. The Firm Shares and the Option Shares (to the extent the aforementioned option is exercised) are herein collectively called the “Shares.”
In consideration of the mutual agreements contained herein and of the interests of the parties in the transactions contemplated hereby, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY AND THE SELLING SHAREHOLDERS.
(a) The Company represents and warrants to each of the Underwriters as follows:
(i) A registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333- 165823) with respect to the Shares has been prepared by the Company in conformity with the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), and the rules and regulations (the “Rules and Regulations”) of the Securities and
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Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) thereunder and has been filed with the Commission. Copies of such registration statement, including any amendments thereto, the preliminary prospectuses (meeting the requirements of the Rules and Regulations) contained therein and the exhibits, financial statements and schedules, as finally amended and revised, have heretofore been delivered by the Company to you. Such registration statement, as amended at the time it became effective, including the information, if any, contained in the Prospectus referred to below and deemed pursuant to Rule 430A under the Act to be a part of such registration statement at the time it was declare effective, and together with any registration statement filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Act, is herein referred to as the “Registration Statement”; such registration statement has become effective under the Act and no post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed as of the date of this Agreement. “Prospectus” means the form of final prospectus relating to the Shares first filed with the Commission pursuant to and within the time limits described in Rule 424(b) under the Act. Each preliminary prospectus included in the Registration Statement prior to the time it becomes effective is herein referred to as a “Preliminary Prospectus.”
(ii) As of the Applicable Time (as defined below) and as of the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, neither (i) the General Use Free Writing Prospectus(es) (as defined below) issued at or prior to the Applicable Time, the Statutory Prospectus (as defined below) and the information included on Schedule IV hereto, all considered together (collectively, the “General Disclosure Package”), nor (ii) any individual Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus (as defined below), when considered together with the General Disclosure Package, included or will include any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that the Company makes no representations or warranties as to information contained in or omitted from the General Disclosure Package or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (as defined below), in reliance upon, and in conformity with, written information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representatives, specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information is that described in Section 13 herein. As used in this subsection and elsewhere in this Agreement:
“Applicable Time” means [a/p]m (New York time) on the date of this Agreement or such other time as agreed to by the Company and the Representatives.
“Statutory Prospectus” as of any time means the Preliminary Prospectus relating to the Shares that is included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to that time.
“Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 under the Act, relating to the Shares in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g) under the Act.
“General Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is identified on Schedule V to this Agreement.
“Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not a General Use Free Writing Prospectus.
(iii) The Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as an exempted company in good standing under the laws of Bermuda, with corporate power and authority to own or lease its properties and conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. Each of the subsidiaries of the Company as listed in Exhibit 21 to Item 8(a) of the Registration Statement (collectively, the “Subsidiaries”) has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation or other business organization in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, with corporate power and authority to own or lease its properties and conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package
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and the Prospectus. The Subsidiaries are the only subsidiaries, direct or indirect, of the Company. The Company is duly qualified to transact business in all jurisdictions in which the conduct of their business requires such qualification. Each of the Subsidiaries are duly qualified to transact business in all jurisdictions in which the conduct of their business requires such qualification, except where the failure to so qualify would not either (i) have, individually or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect on the earnings, business, management, properties, assets, rights, operations, condition (financial or otherwise) or prospects of the Company and of the Subsidiaries taken as a whole or (ii) prevent the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby (the occurrence of any such effect or any such prevention described in the foregoing clauses (i) and (ii) being referred to as a “Material Adverse Effect”). The outstanding shares of capital stock of each of the Subsidiaries have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and are owned by the Company or another Subsidiary free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and equities and claims; and no options, warrants or other rights to purchase, agreements or other obligations to issue or other rights to convert any obligations into shares of capital stock or ownership interests in the Subsidiaries are outstanding.
(iv) All of the issued shares of the Company, including all shares to be sold by the Selling Shareholders, have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; the Shares to be issued and sold by the Company have been duly authorized and when issued and paid for as contemplated herein will be validly issued, fully paid and non- assessable; and no preemptive rights of shareholders exist with respect to any of the Shares or the issue and sale thereof. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and Prospectus, no options, warrants or other rights to purchase, agreements or other obligations to issue or other rights to convert any obligations into shares of capital stock or ownership interests in the Company are outstanding. Neither the filing of the Registration Statement nor the offering or sale of the Shares as contemplated by this Agreement gives rise to any rights, other than those which have been waived or satisfied, for or relating to the registration of any Common Shares.
(v) The information set forth under the caption “Capitalization” in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (and any similar section or information contained in the General Disclosure Package) is true and correct. All of the Shares conform to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. The form of certificates for the Shares conforms to the corporate law of the jurisdiction of the Company’s incorporation and to any requirements of the Company’s organizational documents. Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, except as otherwise specifically stated therein or in this Agreement, the Company has not: (i) issued any securities or incurred any material liability or obligation, direct or contingent, for borrowed money; or (ii) declared or paid any dividend or made any other distribution on or in respect to its share capital.
(vi) The Commission has not issued an order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus relating to the proposed offering of the Shares, and no proceeding for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Act has been instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened by the Commission. The Registration Statement contains, and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto will contain, all statements which are required to be stated therein by, and will conform to, the requirements of the Act and the Rules and Regulations. The Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, as of the applicable effective date of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, did not contain, and will not contain, any untrue statement of a material fact and did not omit, and will not omit, to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; the Prospectus and any amendments and supplements thereto, as of their respective dates and as of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact; and will not omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;
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provided, however, that the Company makes no representations or warranties as to information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or any such amendment or supplement, in reliance upon, and in conformity with, written information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representatives, specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information is that described in Section 13 herein.
(vii) Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the public offer and sale of the Shares or until any earlier date that the Company notified or notifies the Representatives, did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus.
(viii) The Company has not, directly or indirectly, distributed and will not distribute any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares other than any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and other materials, if any, permitted under the Act and consistent with Section 4(a)(ii) below. The Company has filed and will file with the Commission all Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses in the time required under Rule 433(d) under the Act. The Company has satisfied or will satisfy the conditions in Rule 433 under the Act to avoid a requirement to file with the Commission any electronic road show.
(ix)(i) At the time of filing the Registration Statement and (ii) as of the date hereof (with such date being used as the determination date for purposes of this clause (ii)), the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Act, without taking into account any determination by the Commission pursuant to Rule 405 under the Act that it is not necessary that the Company be considered an ineligible issuer), including, without limitation, for purposes of Rules 164 and 433 under the Act with respect to the offering of the Shares as contemplated by the Registration Statement.
(x) The consolidated financial statements of the Company and the Subsidiaries, together with related notes and schedules as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, present fairly the financial position and the results of operations and cash flows of the Company and the consolidated Subsidiaries, at the indicated dates and for the indicated periods. Such financial statements and related schedules have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”), consistently applied throughout the periods involved, except as disclosed therein, and all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of results for such periods have been made. The summary and selected consolidated financial and statistical data included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus presents fairly the information shown therein and such data has been compiled on a basis consistent with the financial statements presented therein and the books and records of the Company. All disclosures contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the Rules and Regulations and as applicable to foreign private issuers) comply with Regulation G of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and Item 10 of Regulation S-K under the Act, to the extent applicable. The Company and the Subsidiaries do not have any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent (including any off-balance sheet obligations or any “variable interest entities” within the meaning of Financial Accounting Standards Board Interpretation No. 46), not disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. There are no financial statements (historical or pro forma) that are required to be included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus that are not included as required.
(xi) PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, who has certified certain of the financial statements filed with the Commission as part of the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company and the
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Subsidiaries within the meaning of the Act and the applicable Rules and Regulations and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (the “PCAOB”).
(xii) Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries is aware of (i) any material weakness in its internal control over financial reporting or (ii) change in internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
(xiii) Solely to the extent that the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act of 2002, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission and The NASDAQ Stock Market thereunder (the “Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act”) has been applicable to the Company, there is and has been no failure on the part of the Company to comply in all material respects with any provision of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act. The Company has taken all necessary actions to ensure that it is in compliance in all material respects with all provisions of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act that are in effect and with which the Company is required to comply and is actively taking steps to ensure that it will be in compliance in all material respects with other provisions of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act not currently in effect or which will become applicable to the Company.
(xiv) There is no action, suit, claim or proceeding pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against the Company or any of the Subsidiaries before any court or administrative agency or otherwise which if determined adversely to the Company or any of the Subsidiaries would result in a Material Adverse Effect, except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(xv) The Company and the Subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all of the properties and assets reflected in the consolidated financial statements hereinabove described or described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, subject to no lien, mortgage, pledge, charge or encumbrance of any kind except those reflected in such financial statements or described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or which are not material in amount. The leased properties of the Company and the Subsidiaries that are occupied as of the Applicable Time are occupied under valid and binding leases conforming in all material respects to the description thereof set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(xvi) The Company and the Subsidiaries have filed all Federal, State, local and foreign tax returns which have been required to be filed and have paid all taxes indicated by such returns and all assessments received by them or any of them to the extent that such taxes have become due. All tax liabilities have been adequately provided for in the financial statements of the Company, and the Company does not know of any actual or proposed additional material tax assessments.
(xvii) Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, as each may be amended or supplemented, there has not been any material adverse change or any development involving a prospective material adverse change in or affecting the earnings, business, management, properties, assets, rights, operations, condition (financial or otherwise), or prospects of the Company and the Subsidiaries taken as a whole, whether or not occurring in the ordinary course of business, and there has not been any material transaction entered into or any material transaction that is probable of being entered into by the Company or the Subsidiaries, other than transactions in the ordinary course of business and changes and transactions described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, as each may be amended or supplemented. The Company and the Subsidiaries have no material contingent obligations which are not disclosed in the Company’s financial statements which are included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(xviii) Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries is or with the giving of notice or lapse of time or both, will be, (i) in violation of its memorandum of association, memorandum and articles of
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association, bye-laws, certificate or articles of incorporation, by-laws or other organizational or constituent documents or (ii) in violation of or in default under any agreement, lease, contract, indenture or other instrument or obligation to which it is a party or by which it, or any of its properties, is bound and, solely with respect to this clause (ii), which violation or default would have a Material Adverse Effect. The execution and delivery of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated and the fulfillment of the terms hereof will not violate, conflict with or result in a breach of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, (i) any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or by which the Company or any Subsidiary or any of their respective properties is bound, (ii) the memorandum of association, bye-laws, certificate or articles of incorporation, by-laws or other organizational or constituent documents of the Company or (iii) any Subsidiary or any law, order, rule or regulation judgment, order, writ or decree applicable to the Company or any Subsidiary of any court or of any government, regulatory body or administrative agency or other governmental body having jurisdiction over the Company or any Subsidiary or any of their respective properties; except with respect to clauses (i) and (iii) where such conflicts, breaches or violations that, in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(xix) The execution and delivery of, and the performance by the Company of its obligations under, this Agreement has been duly and validly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company, and this Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company.
(xx) No approval, consent, order, authorization, designation, declaration or filing by or with any regulatory, administrative or other governmental body in the United States, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”), the Republic of China (“ROC”) and any other jurisdiction is required or otherwise necessary in connection with the execution and delivery by the Company of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated (except such additional steps as may be required by the Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) or such additional steps as may be necessary to qualify the Shares for public offering by the Underwriters under state securities or Blue Sky laws) has been obtained or made and is in full force and effect.
(xxi) The Company and each of the Subsidiaries hold all material licenses, certificates and permits from governmental authorities which are necessary to the conduct of their businesses; the Company and the Subsidiaries each own or possess the right to use all patents, patent rights, trademarks, trade names, service marks, service names, copyrights, license rights, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures) and other intellectual property rights (“Intellectual Property”) necessary to carry on their business in all material respects; neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries has infringed, and none of the Company or the Subsidiaries have received notice of conflict with, any Intellectual Property of any other person or entity. The Company has taken all reasonable steps necessary to secure interests in such Intellectual Property from its contractors. There are no outstanding options, licenses or agreements of any kind relating to the Intellectual Property of the Company that are required to be described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and are not described in all material respects. The Company is not a party to or bound by any options, licenses or agreements with respect to the Intellectual Property of any other person or entity that are required to be set forth in the Prospectus and are not described in all material respects. None of the technology employed by the Company has been obtained or is being used by the Company in violation of any contractual obligation binding on the Company or any of its officers, directors or employees or otherwise in violation of the rights of any persons; the Company has not received any written or oral communications alleging that the company has violated, infringe or conflicted with, or, by conducting its business as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, would violate, infringe or conflict with, any of the Intellectual Property of any other person or entity. The Company knows of no infringement by others of Intellectual Property owned by or licensed to the Company.
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(xxii) Neither the Company, nor to the Company’s knowledge, any of its affiliates, has taken or may take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or result in, or which has constituted or which might reasonably be expected to constitute, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Common Shares to facilitate the sale or resale of the Shares. The Company acknowledges that the Underwriters may engage in passive market making transactions in the Shares on The NASDAQ Global Market in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act.
(xxiii) Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is or, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares contemplated hereunder and the application of the net proceeds from such sale as described in the Registration Statement, General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, will be an “investment company” within the meaning of such term under the Investment Company Act of 1940 as amended (the “1940 Act”), and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
(xxiv) Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, the Company and its Subsidiaries maintains a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with IFRS and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.
(xxv) The Company has established and maintains “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rules 13a-14(c) and 15d-14(c) under the Exchange Act); the Company’s “disclosure controls and procedures” are reasonably designed to ensure that all information (both financial and non-financial) required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it will file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and regulations of the Exchange Act, and that all such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure and to make the certifications of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company required under the Exchange Act with respect to such reports.
(xxvi) The statistical, industry-related and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources which the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable and accurate, and such data agree with the sources from which they are derived.
(xxvii) The operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial record-keeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all applicable jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines administered or enforced by any applicable governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened.
(xxviii) Neither the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering and sale of the Shares contemplated herein, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any Subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC.
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(xxix) The Company and each of the Subsidiaries carry, or are covered by, insurance in such amounts and covering such risks as is adequate for the conduct of their respective businesses and the value of their respective properties and as is customary for companies engaged in similar businesses.
(xxx) The Company and each Subsidiary is in compliance in all material respects with all presently applicable provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (“ERISA”); no “reportable event” (as defined in ERISA) has occurred with respect to any “pension plan” (as defined in ERISA) for which the Company and each Subsidiary would have any liability; the Company and each Subsidiary has not incurred and does not expect to incur liability under (i) Title IV of ERISA with respect to termination of, or withdrawal from, any “pension plan” or (ii) Sections 412 or 4971 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (the “Code”); and each “pension plan” for which the Company or any Subsidiary would have any liability that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified in all material respects and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which would cause the loss of such qualification.
(xxxi) To the Company’s knowledge, there are no affiliations or associations between any member of FINRA and any of the Company’s officers, directors or 5% or greater securityholders, except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(xxxii) Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries is in violation of any statute, rule, regulation, decision or order of any governmental agency or body or any court, domestic or foreign, relating to the use, disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or relating to the protection or restoration of the environment or human exposure to hazardous or toxic substances (collectively, “environmental laws”), owns or operates any real property contaminated with any substance that is subject to environmental laws, is liable for any off-site disposal or contamination pursuant to any environmental laws, or is subject to any claim relating to any environmental laws, which violation, contamination, liability or claim would, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; and the Company is not aware of any pending investigation which might lead to such a claim.
(xxxiii) The Shares have been approved for listing subject to notice of issuance on The NASDAQ Global Market.
(xxxiv) There are no relationships or related-party transactions involving the Company or any of the Subsidiaries or any other person required to be described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and Prospectus which have not been described as required.
(xxxv) Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries has made any contribution or other payment to any official of, or candidate for, any federal, state or foreign office in violation of any law which violation is required to be disclosed in the Prospectus.
(xxxvi) As of the date of the initial filing of the registration statement referred to in Section 1(a)(i), there were no outstanding personal loans made, directly or indirectly, by the Company to any director or executive officer of the Company.
(xxxvii) None of the information on (or hyperlinked from) the Company’s website at xxxx://xxx.xxxxx.xxx includes or constitutes a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act and the Company does not maintain or support any external website other than xxxx://xxx.xxxxx.xxx.
(xxxviii) Except as disclosed in the the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, no Subsidiary of the Company is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, from paying any dividends to the Company or any intermediate holding company of such Subsidiary, from making any other distribution on such Subsidiary’s capital stock, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such Subsidiary from the Company, from making any advances to the Company, or from transferring any of such Subsidiary’s property or assets to the Company or any other
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Subsidiary of the Company; except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, all dividends and other distributions declared and payable upon the equity interests in the Subsidiaries may be converted into foreign currency that may be freely transferred out of the PRC or the ROC or its jurisdiction of incorporation and all such dividends and other distributions are not and will not be subject to withholding or other taxes under the laws and regulations of PRC or the ROC or its jurisdiction of incorporation and otherwise free and clear of any other tax, withholding or deduction in its jurisdiction of incorporation, in each case without the necessity of obtaining any approval, consent, order, authorization, designation, declaration or filing by or with any regulatory, administrative or other governmental body in the PRC or the ROC or its jurisdiction of incorporation.
(xxxix) Except as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, all local and national PRC and ROC governmental tax waivers and other local and national PRC and ROC tax relief, concession and preferential treatment granted to or otherwise obtained or enjoyed by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries are valid, binding and enforceable and do not violate any provision of any law or statute or any order, rule or regulation of any local or national government, regulatory body or administrative agency or other governmental body in the PRC or the ROC, as the case may be.
(xl) None of the Company and the Subsidiaries nor any of their properties, assets or revenues are entitled to any right of immunity on the grounds of sovereignty from any legal action, suit or proceeding, from set-off or counterclaim, from the jurisdiction of any court, from services of process, from attachment prior to or in aid of execution of judgment, or from other legal process or proceeding for the giving of any relief or for the enforcement of any judgment. The irrevocable and unconditional waiver and agreement of the Company in this Agreement not to plead or claim any such immunity in any legal action, suit or proceeding based on this Agreement is valid and binding under the laws of Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the PRC, the ROC and the United States.
(xli) No labor disturbance by or dispute with employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is contemplated or threatened, and the Company is not aware of any existing or imminent labor disturbance by, or dispute with, the employees of any of its or its subsidiaries’ principal suppliers, contractors or customers that would result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(xlii) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (ii) made any direct or indirect unlawful payment to any foreign or domestic government official or employee from corporate funds; (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977; or (iv) made any bribe, illegal rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment.
(xliii) The Company is a “foreign private issuer” within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Act.
(xliv) Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company has no material obligation to provide retirement, death or disability benefits to any of the present or past employees of the Company or any Subsidiary, or to any other person.
(xlv) No transaction, stamp or other issuance, registration or transfer taxes or duties and no capital gains, income, withholding or other taxes are payable by or on behalf of the Underwriters to Bermuda or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein in connection with (i) the issuance, sale and delivery of the Shares by the Company to or for the account of the Underwriters; (ii) the sale and delivery by the Underwriters of the Shares to the initial purchasers thereof; (iii) the holding or transfer of the Shares outside Bermuda; or (iv) the execution and delivery of this Agreement.
(xlvi) The Company has received from the Bermuda Minister of Finance an assurance under the Exempted Undertakings Tax Protection Act 1966 of Bermuda to the effect set forth in the Prospectus under the caption “Taxation—Bermuda Taxation” and the Company has not received any notification
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to the effect (and is not otherwise aware) that such assurance may be revoked or otherwise not honored by the Bermuda government.
(xlvii) There are no currency exchange control laws or withholding taxes in Bermuda or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein that would be applicable to the payment of dividends on the Common Shares by the Company (other than as may apply to residents of Bermuda for Bermuda exchange control purposes; the Bermuda Monetary Authority (the “BMA”) has designated the Company as non-resident for exchange control purposes and has granted permission for the issue and free transferability of the Shares, as long as they are listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market, to and among persons who are non-residents of Bermuda for exchange control purposes; such permission has not been revoked and is in full force and effect, and the Company has no knowledge of any proceedings planned or threatened for the revocation of such permission; the Company is an “exempted company” under Bermuda law and has not received notification from the BMA or any other Bermuda governmental authority of proceedings relating to the modification or revocation of its designation as non-resident for exchange control purposes, its permission to issue and transfer the Shares, or its status as an “exempted company”.
(xlviii) All dividends and other distributions declared and payable on the share capital of the Company may under current laws and regulations of Bermuda be paid in any currency other than Bermuda dollars that may be freely transferred out of Bermuda, and all such dividends and other distributions will not be subject under such current laws and regulations to withholding or other taxes under the laws and regulations of Bermuda and are otherwise free and clear of any other tax, approval, authorization, registration or qualification of or with any governmental agency or body or any court in Bermuda (other than as may apply to residents of Bermuda for Bermuda exchange control purposes); and other than as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, no regulatory agency or body or other governmental authority has issued any order or decree impairing, restricting or prohibiting the payment of dividends by the Company or its Subsidiaries.
(xlix) The choice of the laws of the State of New York as the governing law of this Agreement is a valid choice of law under the laws of Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the PRC and the ROC and will be honored by courts in Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the PRC and the ROC. The Company has the power to submit, and pursuant to Section 14 of this Agreement, has legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably submitted, to the personal jurisdiction of each New York State and United States Federal court sitting in the Borough of Manhattan The City of New York (each, a “New York Court”) and has validly and irrevocably waived any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or proceeding brought in any such court; and the Company has the power to designate, appoint and empower, and pursuant to Section 14 of this Agreement, has legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably designated, appointed and empowered, an authorized agent for service of process in any action arising out of or relating to this Agreement, the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, or the offering of the Shares in any New York Court, and service of process effected on such authorized agent will be effective to confer valid personal jurisdiction over the Company as provided in Section 14 hereof.
(l) The Company is not a passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) within the meaning of Section 1297 of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and does not expect to become a PFIC for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010 or any future year.
(li) The section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Prospectus accurately and fully describes in all material respects (i) accounting policies that the Company believes are the most important in the portrayal of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations and that require management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments (“critical accounting policies”); (ii) judgments and uncertainties affecting the application of critical accounting policies; and (iii) the likelihood that materially different amounts would be reported under different conditions or using different assumptions and an explanation thereof.
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(lii) The Company and each of its subsidiaries are in compliance with all applicable export and import control laws, including those implemented by the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as applicable.
(liii) Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such person the right to require the Company to file a registration statement under the Act with respect to any securities of the Company owned or to be owned by such person or to require the Company to include such securities in the securities registered pursuant to the Registration Statement or in any securities being registered pursuant to any other registration statement filed by the Company under the Act.
(liv) Except for any agreement with the Representatives and this Agreement, there are no contracts, agreements, or understandings between the Company and any person that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or any Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or other like payment in connection with this offering.
(b) Each of the Selling Shareholders severally represents and warrants as follows:
(i) Such Selling Shareholder has, or immediately prior to the Closing Date on which such Selling Shareholder is selling Shares, such Selling Shareholder will have, good and valid title to, or a valid “security entitlement” within the meaning of Section 8-501 of the New York Uniform Commercial Code (the “UCC”) in respect of, the Shares to be sold by such Selling Shareholder hereunder on such Closing Date, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims, except for any liens, encumbrances, equities or claims arising under the Custody Agreement referred to below or otherwise in favor of the Underwriters.
(ii) The Shares to be sold by such Selling Shareholder hereunder, which are represented by the certificates held in custody for such Selling Shareholder, are subject to the interests of the Underwriters and the other Selling Shareholders thereunder, the arrangements made by such Selling Shareholder for such custody are to that extent irrevocable, and the obligations of such Selling Shareholder hereunder shall not be terminated by any act of such Selling Shareholder, by operation of law, death or incapacity of such individual Selling Shareholder or, in the case of a trust, by the death or incapacity of any executor or trustee or the termination of such trust, or the occurrence of any other event.
(iii) Upon payment of the purchase price for the Shares to be sold by each Selling Shareholder pursuant to this Agreement, delivery of such Shares, as directed by the Underwriters, to Cede & Co. (“Cede”) or such other nominee as may be designated by The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), registration of such Shares in the name of Cede or such other nominee, and the crediting of such Shares on the books of DTC to securities accounts (within the meaning of Section 8-501(a) of the UCC) of the Underwriters maintained at DTC (assuming that neither DTC nor any such Underwriter has notice of any “adverse claim,” within the meaning of Section 8-105 of the UCC, to such Shares), (i) DTC shall be a “protected purchaser” of such Shares within the meaning of Section 8-303 of the UCC, (ii) under Section 8-501 of the UCC, the Underwriters will acquire a valid “security entitlement” in respect of such Shares and (iii) no action (whether framed in conversion, replevin, constructive trust, equitable lien, or other theory) based on any “adverse claim,” within the meaning of Section 8-102 of the UCC, to such Shares may be asserted against the Underwriters with respect to such security entitlement. For purposes of this representation, such Selling Shareholder may assume that when such payment, delivery and crediting occur, (A) such Shares will have been registered in the name of Cede or another nominee designated by DTC, in each case on the Company’s share registry in accordance with its Memorandum and Articles of Association and applicable law, (B) DTC will be registered as a “clearing corporation,” within the meaning of Section 8-102 of the UCC, (C) appropriate entries to the accounts of the several Underwriters on the records of DTC will have been made pursuant to the UCC, (D) to the extent DTC, or any other securities intermediary which acts as “clearing corporation” with respect to the Shares, maintains any “financial asset” (as defined in Section 8-102(a)(9) of the UCC in
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a clearing corporation pursuant to Section 8-111 of the UCC, the rules of such clearing corporation may affect the rights of DTC or such securities intermediaries and the ownership interest of the Underwriters), (E) claims of creditors of DTC or any other securities intermediary or clearing corporation may be given priority to the extent set forth in Section 8-511(b) and 8-511(c) of the UCC and (F) if at any time the DTC or other securities intermediary does not have sufficient Shares to satisfy claims of all of its entitlement holders with respect thereto then all holders will share pro rata in the Shares then held by DTC or such securities intermediary.
(iv) Such Selling Shareholder has full right, power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement, the Power of Attorney and the Custody Agreement referred to below and to perform its obligations under such Agreements. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by or on behalf of such Selling Shareholder. Each of the Power of Attorney and the Custody Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by or on behalf of such Selling Shareholder and are valid and binding agreements of such Selling Shareholder, enforceable against such Selling Shareholder in accordance with its terms. The execution and delivery of this Agreement and the consummation by such Selling Shareholder of the transactions herein contemplated and the fulfillment by such Selling Shareholder of the terms hereof will not require any consent, approval, authorization, or other order of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency or other governmental body (except as may be required under the Act, state securities laws or Blue Sky laws) and will not result in a breach of any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default under, organizational documents of such Selling Shareholder, if not an individual, or any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust or other agreement or instrument to which such Selling Shareholder is a party, or of any order, rule or regulation applicable to such Selling Shareholder of any court or of any regulatory body or administrative agency or other governmental body having jurisdiction.
(v) Such Selling Shareholder has not taken and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to, or which has constituted, or which might reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Common Shares and, other than as permitted by the Act, the Selling Shareholder will not distribute any prospectus or other offering material in connection with the offering of the Shares.
(vi) The sale of the Firm Shares by such Selling Shareholder pursuant hereto is not prompted by any information concerning the Company or any of the Subsidiaries which is not set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(vii) No consent, approval or waiver is required under any instrument or agreement to which such Selling Shareholder is a party or by which such Selling Shareholder is bound or under which he or it is entitled to any right or benefit, in connection with the offering, sale or purchase by the Underwriters of any of the Shares which may be sold by such Selling Shareholder under this Agreement or the consummation by such Selling Shareholder of any of the other transactions contemplated hereby.
(viii) No consent, approval, authorization or order of, or filing or registration with, any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over such Selling Shareholder or the property or assets of such Selling Shareholder is required for the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, the Custody Agreement or the Power of Attorney by such Selling Shareholder and the consummation by such Selling Shareholder of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, except for the registration of the Shares under the Securities Act and such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under the Exchange Act and applicable state or foreign securities laws in connection with the purchase and sale of the Shares by the Underwriters.
(ix)(i) The Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, as of the applicable effective date of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, did not contain, and will not contain, any untrue statement of a material fact and did not omit, and will not omit, to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading;
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(ii) the Prospectus and any amendments and supplements thereto, as of their respective dates and as of the Closing Date, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact; and will not omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; (iii) the General Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time and as of the Closing Date, did not contain, and will not contain, an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and (iv) each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (including without limitation, any road show that is a free writing prospectus under Rule 433), if any, when considered together with the General Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time and as of the Closing Date, did not contain, and will not contain, an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the representations and warranties in the foregoing clauses (i) through (iv) are made only as to statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of such Selling Shareholder specifically for use in the preparation of the Registration Statement or such other documents.
(x) There are no affiliations or associations between any member of FINRA and such Selling Shareholder or any affiliate of such Selling Shareholder, except as set forth in the Registration Statement.
(xi) Without having undertaken to determine independently the accuracy or completeness of either the representations and warranties of the Company contained herein or the information contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, each Selling Shareholder listed on Schedule III hereto has no reason to believe that the representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Section 1 are not true and correct, is familiar with the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and has no knowledge of any material fact, condition or information not disclosed in the Registration Statement which has adversely affected or may adversely affect the business of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries.
2. PURCHASE, SALE AND DELIVERY OF THE FIRM SHARES.
(a) On the basis of the representations, warranties and covenants herein contained, and subject to the conditions herein set forth, the Sellers agree to sell to the Underwriters and each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase, at a price of U.S.$ per share, the number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the name of each Underwriter in Schedule I hereof, subject to adjustments in accordance with Section 9 hereof. The number of Firm Shares to be purchased by each Underwriter from each Seller shall be as nearly as practicable in the same proportion to the total number of Firm Shares being sold by each Seller as the number of Firm Shares being purchased by each Underwriter bears to the total number of Firm Shares to be sold hereunder. The obligations of the Company and of each of the Selling Shareholders shall be several and not joint.
(b) Certificates in negotiable form for the total number of the Shares to be sold hereunder by the Selling Shareholders have been placed in custody with Computershare Inc. as custodian (the “Custodian”) pursuant to the Custody Agreement executed by each Selling Shareholder for delivery of all Firm Shares to be sold hereunder by the Selling Shareholders. Each of the Selling Shareholders specifically agrees that the Firm Shares represented by the certificates held in custody for the Selling Shareholders under the Custody Agreement are subject to the interests of the Underwriters hereunder, that the arrangements made by the Selling Shareholders for such custody are to that extent irrevocable, and that the obligations of the Selling Shareholders hereunder shall not be terminable by any act or deed of the Selling Shareholders (or by any other person, firm or corporation including the Company, the Custodian or the Underwriters) or by operation of law (including the death of an individual Selling Shareholder or the dissolution of a corporate Selling Shareholder) or by the occurrence of any other event or events, except as set forth in the Custody Agreement. If any such event should occur prior to the delivery to the Underwriters of the Firm Shares
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hereunder, certificates for the Firm Shares shall be delivered by the Custodian in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement as if such event has not occurred. The Custodian is authorized to receive and acknowledge receipt of the proceeds of sale of the Shares held by it against delivery of such Shares.
(c) Payment for the Firm Shares to be sold hereunder is to be made in Federal (same day) funds to an account designated by the Company for the shares to be sold by it and to an account designated by the Custodian for the shares to be sold by the Selling Shareholders, in each case against delivery of certificates therefor to the Representatives for the several accounts of the Underwriters. Such payment and delivery are to be made through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company at 10:00 a.m., New York time, on the third business day after the date of this Agreement or at such other time and date not later than five business days thereafter as you and the Company shall agree upon, such time and date being herein referred to as the “Closing Date.” (As used herein, “business day” means a day on which the New York Stock Exchange is open for trading and on which banks in New York are open for business and not permitted by law or executive order to be closed.)
(d) In addition, on the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company hereby grant an option to the several Underwriters to purchase the Option Shares at the price per share as set forth in the first paragraph of this Section 2. The option granted hereby may be exercised in whole or in part by giving written notice (i) at any time before the Closing Date and (ii) at any time, from time to time thereafter within 30 days after the date of this Agreement, by you, as Representatives of the several Underwriters, to the Company, the Attorney-in-Fact, and the Custodian setting forth the number of Option Shares as to which the several Underwriters are exercising the option and the time and date at which such certificates are to be delivered. The time and date at which certificates for Option Shares are to be delivered shall be determined by the Representatives but shall not be earlier than three nor later than 10 full business days after the exercise of such option, nor in any event prior to the Closing Date (such time and date being herein referred to as the “Option Closing Date”). If the date of exercise of the option is three or more days before the Closing Date, the notice of exercise shall set the Closing Date as the Option Closing Date. The number of Option Shares to be purchased by each Underwriter shall be in the same proportion to the total number of Option Shares being purchased as the number of Firm Shares being purchased by such Underwriter bears to the total number of Firm Shares, adjusted by you in such manner as to avoid fractional shares. The option with respect to the Option Shares granted hereunder may be exercised only to cover over-allotments in the sale of the Firm Shares by the Underwriters. You, as Representatives of the several Underwriters, may cancel such option at any time prior to its expiration by giving written notice of such cancellation to the Company and the Attorney-in-Fact. To the extent, if any, that the option is exercised, payment for the Option Shares shall be made on the Option Closing Date in Federal (same day) funds drawn to the order of the Company for the Option Shares to be sold by it against delivery of certificates therefor through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York.
(e) If on the Closing Date, as the case may be, any Selling Shareholder fails to sell the Firm Shares or Option Shares which such Selling Shareholder has agreed to sell on such date as set forth in Schedule II hereto, the Company agrees that it will sell or arrange for the sale of that number of Common Shares to the Underwriters which represents Firm Shares which such Selling Shareholder has failed to so sell, as set forth in Schedule II hereto, or such lesser number as may be requested by the Representatives.
3. OFFERING BY THE UNDERWRITERS.
It is understood that the several Underwriters are to make a public offering of the Firm Shares as soon as the Representatives deem it advisable to do so. The Firm Shares are to be initially offered to the public at the initial public offering price set forth in the Prospectus. The Representatives may from time to time thereafter change the public offering price and other selling terms.
It is further understood that you will act as the Representatives for the Underwriters in the offering and sale of the Shares in accordance with a Master Agreement Among Underwriters entered into by you and the several other Underwriters.
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4. COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY AND THE SELLING SHAREHOLDERS.
(a) The Company covenants and agrees with the several Underwriters that:
(i) The Company will (A) prepare and timely file with the Commission under Rule 424(b) under the Act a Prospectus in a form approved by the Representatives containing information previously omitted at the time of effectiveness of the Registration Statement in reliance on Rules 430A, 430B or 430C under the Act, as applicable, (B) not file any amendment to the Registration Statement or distribute an amendment or supplement to the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus of which the Representatives shall not previously have been advised and furnished with a copy or to which the Representatives shall have reasonably objected in writing or which is not in compliance with the Rules and Regulations and (C) file on a timely basis all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission subsequent to the date of the Prospectus and prior to the termination of the offering of the Shares by the Underwriters.
(ii) The Company will (i) not make any offer relating to the Shares that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Act) required to be filed by the Company with the Commission under Rule 433 under the Act unless the Representatives approve its use in writing prior to first use (each, a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus”); provided that the prior written consent of the Representatives hereto shall be deemed to have been given in respect of the Issuer Free Writing Prospectus(es) included in Schedule V hereto, (ii) treat each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, (iii) comply with the requirements of Rules 164 and 433 under the Act applicable to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, including the requirements relating to timely filing with the Commission, legending and record keeping and (iv) not take any action that would result in an Underwriter or the Company being required to file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of such Underwriter that such Underwriter otherwise would not have been required to file thereunder. The Company will satisfy the conditions in Rule 433 under the Act to avoid a requirement to file with the Commission any electronic road show.
(iii) The Company will advise the Representatives promptly (A) when the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto shall have become effective, (B) of receipt of any comments from the Commission, (C) of any request of the Commission for amendment of the Registration Statement or for supplement to the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or for any additional information, and (D) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or of the institution of any proceedings for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Act. The Company will use its best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such order and to obtain as soon as possible the lifting thereof, if issued.
(iv) The Company will cooperate with the Representatives in endeavoring to qualify the Shares for sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives may reasonably have designated in writing and will make such applications, file such documents, and furnish such information as may be reasonably required for that purpose, provided the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction where it is not now so qualified or required to file such a consent. The Company will, from time to time, prepare and file such statements, reports, and other documents, as are or may be required to continue such qualifications in effect for so long a period as the Representatives may reasonably request for distribution of the Shares.
(v) The Company will deliver to, or upon the order of, the Representatives, from time to time, as many copies of any Preliminary Prospectus as the Representatives may reasonably request. The Company will deliver to, or upon the order of, the Representatives, from time to time, as many copies of any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus as the Representatives may reasonably request. The Company
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will deliver to, or upon the order of, the Representatives during the period when delivery of a Prospectus (or, in lieu thereof, the notice referred to under Rule 173(a) under the Act) (the “Prospectus Delivery Period”) is required under the Act, as many copies of the Prospectus in final form, or as thereafter amended or supplemented, as the Representatives may reasonably request. The Company will deliver to the Representatives at or before the Closing Date, four signed copies of the Registration Statement and all amendments thereto including all exhibits filed therewith, and will deliver to the Representatives such number of copies of the Registration Statement (including such number of copies of the exhibits filed therewith that may reasonably be requested), and of all amendments thereto, as the Representatives may reasonably request.
(vi) The Company will comply with the Act and the Rules and Regulations, and the Exchange Act, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Shares as contemplated in this Agreement and the Prospectus. If during the Prospectus Delivery Period, any event shall occur as a result of which, in the judgment of the Company or in the reasonable opinion of the Underwriters, it becomes necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at the time the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading, or, if it is necessary at any time to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with any law, the Company promptly will prepare and file with the Commission an appropriate amendment to the Registration Statement or supplement to the Prospectus so that the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances when it is so delivered, be misleading, or so that the Prospectus will comply with the law.
(vii) If the General Disclosure Package is being used to solicit offers to buy the Shares at a time when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers and any event shall occur as a result of which, in the judgment of the Company or in the reasonable opinion of the Underwriters, it becomes necessary to amend or supplement the General Disclosure Package in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances, not misleading, or to make the statements therein not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement then on file, or if it is necessary at any time to amend or supplement the General Disclosure Package to comply with any law, the Company promptly will prepare, file with the Commission (if required) and furnish to the Underwriters and any dealers an appropriate amendment or supplement to the General Disclosure Package.
(viii) The Company will make generally available to its security holders, as soon as it is practicable to do so, but in any event not later than 15 months after the effective date of the Registration Statement, an earnings statement (which need not be audited) in reasonable detail, covering a period of at least 12 consecutive months beginning after the effective date of the Registration Statement, which earnings statement shall satisfy the requirements of Section 11(a) of the Act and Rule 158 under the Act and will advise you in writing when such statement has been so made available.
(ix) Prior to the Closing Date, the Company will furnish to the Underwriters, immediately following the review of the Company’s audit committee, a copy of any unaudited interim financial statements of the Company for any period subsequent to the period covered by the most recent financial statements appearing in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(x) No offering, sale, pledge, contract to sell (including any short sale), grant of any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of any Common Shares, or a stock option or warrant and any other security convertible into or exchangeable for Common Shares, hedging transaction relating to the Common Shares or agreement for such will be made for a period of 180 days after the date of the Prospectus (the “Lock Up Period”), directly or indirectly, by the Company otherwise than hereunder or with the prior written consent of the Representatives in each case, except for (A) the registration of the Shares and the sales to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, (B) issuances of Common Shares upon the exercise of options or warrants or conversion of preferred shares disclosed as outstanding in
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the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, and (C) the issuance of employee stock options not exercisable during the Lock-Up Period pursuant to employee incentive plans of the Company described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and (D) the issuance of shares or securities convertible into such shares in exchange for the assets or equity of another entity in connection with the acquisition, joint venture or other similar strategic transaction by the Company provided that the number of Common Shares issued or underlying securities convertible, exchangeable or exercisable (including pursuant to warrants or other rights) for Common Shares issued in any case pursuant to clause (D) shall not exceed 10% of outstanding shares following the offering shares and provided further that, prior to the issuance of any such securities pursuant to clause (D), the Company shall cause the recipients of such securities to execute and deliver to you Lock-Up Agreements, each substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if (1) during the last 17 days of the Lock Up Period, the Company issues an earnings release or material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs; or (2) prior to the expiration of the Lock-Up Period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 16-day period following the last day of the Lock Up Period, then in each case the restrictions imposed by this Agreement shall continue to apply until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the date of the release of the earnings results or the occurrence of material news or a material event relating to the Company, as the case may be, unless the Representatives waive, in writing, such extension.
(xi) The Company will use its best efforts to list the Shares on The NASDAQ Global Market and effect and maintain the listing of the Shares on The NASDAQ Global Market.
(xii) The Company has caused each officer and director and specific shareholders of the Company to furnish to you, on or prior to the date of this agreement, a letter or letters, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A (the “Lockup Agreement”).
(xiii) The Company shall apply the net proceeds of its sale of the Shares as set forth in the Registration Statement, General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and shall file such reports with the Commission with respect to the sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds therefrom as may be required in accordance with Rule 463 under the Act.
(xiv) The Company shall not invest, or otherwise use the proceeds received by the Company from its sale of the Shares in such a manner as would require the Company or any of the Subsidiaries to register as an investment company under the 1940 Act.
(xv) The Company will maintain a transfer agent and, if necessary under the jurisdiction of incorporation of the Company, a registrar for the Common Stock.
(xvi) The Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or result in, or that has constituted or might reasonably be expected to constitute, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any securities of the Company.
(b) Each of the Selling Shareholders covenants and agrees with the several Underwriters that:
(i) No offering, sale, pledge, contract to sell (including any short sale), grant of any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of any Common Shares (including, without limitation, Common Shares that may be deemed to be beneficially owned by the undersigned on the date hereof in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Common Shares that may be issued upon exercise of a stock option or warrant and any other security convertible into or exchangeable for Common Shares) or enter into any Hedging Transaction (as defined in the form of lock up agreement attached hereto as Exhibit A (the “Shareholder Lock Up Agreement”)) relating to the Common Shares during the Lock Up Period. Pursuant to the Shareholder Lock Up Agreement, if (1) during the last 17 days of the Lock Up Period, the Company releases earnings results or material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs; or (2) prior to the expiration of the Lock Up Period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 16-day period following
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the last day of the 180-day restricted period, then in each case the restrictions imposed by this Agreement shall continue to apply until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the date of the release of the earnings results or the occurrence of material news or a material event relating to the Company, as the case may be, unless the Representatives waive, in writing, such extension.
(ii) In order to document the Underwriters’ compliance with the reporting and withholding provisions of the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 and the Interest and Dividend Tax Compliance Act of 1983 with respect to the transactions herein contemplated, each of the Selling Shareholders agrees to deliver to you prior to or at the Closing Date a properly completed and executed United States Treasury Department Form W-8 or W-9 (or other applicable form or statement specified by Treasury Department regulations in lieu thereof).
(iii) Such Selling Shareholder will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or result in, or that has constituted or might reasonably be expected to constitute, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any securities of the Company.
(iv) Such Selling Shareholder agrees that it will not prepare or have prepared on its behalf or use or refer to, any “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Act), and agrees that it will not distribute any written materials in connection with the offer or sale of the Shares.
(v) During the Prospectus Delivery Period, such Selling Shareholder will advise the Representatives promptly, and will confirm such advice in writing to the Representatives, of any change in the information relating to such Selling Shareholder in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any document comprising the General Disclosure Package.
5. COSTS AND EXPENSES.
The Company will pay all costs, expenses and fees incident to the performance of the obligations of the Sellers under this Agreement, including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the following: accounting fees of the Company; the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company and the Selling Shareholders (except to the extent the Selling Shareholders are obligated to pay any expenses described below): any roadshow expenses; the cost of printing and delivering to, or as requested by, the Underwriters copies of the Registration Statement, Preliminary Prospectuses, the Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses, the Prospectus, this Agreement, and any supplements or amendments thereto; the expenses relating to preparing and printing any Canadian “wrap” in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares in Canada and the expenses relating to the filing any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus in jurisdictions in which the Shares may be offered or sold; the filing fees of the Commission; the filing fees and expenses (including legal fees and disbursements) incident to securing any required review by FINRA of the terms of the sale of the Shares; the Listing Fee of The NASDAQ Global Market; the costs and expenses (including without limitation any damages or other amounts payable in connection with legal or contractual liability) associated with the reforming of any contracts for sale of the Shares made by the Underwriters caused by a breach of the representation in Section 1(a)(ii)); and the expenses, including the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters, incurred in connection with the qualification of the Shares under State securities or Blue Sky laws. The Selling Shareholders have agreed with the Company to reimburse the Company for a portion of such expenses. To the extent, if at all, that any of the Selling Shareholders engage special legal counsel to represent them in connection with this offering, the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be borne by such Selling Shareholder. Any transfer taxes imposed on the sale of the Shares to the several Underwriters will be paid by the Sellers pro rata. The Sellers shall not, however, be required to pay for any of the Underwriter’s expenses (other than those related to qualification under FINRA regulation and State securities or Blue Sky laws) except that, if this Agreement shall not be consummated because the conditions in Section 6 hereof are not satisfied, or because this Agreement is terminated by the Representatives pursuant to Section 11(a)(i), (iv), (vi) or (vii) hereof, or by reason of any failure, refusal or inability on the part of the Company or the Selling Shareholders to perform any undertaking or satisfy any condition of this Agreement or to comply with any of the terms hereof on their part to be performed, unless such failure, refusal or inability is due primarily to the default or omission of any Underwriter, the Company shall
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reimburse the several Underwriters for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, including fees and disbursements of counsel, reasonably incurred in connection with investigating, marketing and proposing to market the Shares or in contemplation of performing their obligations hereunder; but the Company and the Selling Shareholders shall not in any event be liable to any of the several Underwriters for damages on account of loss of anticipated profits from the sale by them of the Shares. This provision shall not affect any agreement that the Company and the Selling Stockholders may make for the sharing of costs and expenses.
6. CONDITIONS OF OBLIGATIONS OF THE UNDERWRITERS.
The several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase the Firm Shares on the Closing Date and the Option Shares, if any, on the Option Closing Date are subject to the accuracy, as of the Applicable Time, the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, of the representations and warranties of the Company and the Selling Shareholders contained herein, and to the performance by the Company and the Selling Shareholders of their covenants and obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions:
(a) The Registration Statement and all post-effective amendments thereto, if any, shall have become effective and the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus required shall have been filed as required by Rules 424, 430A or 433 under the Act, as applicable, within the time period prescribed by, and in compliance with, the Rules and Regulations, and any request of the Commission for additional information (to be included in the Registration Statement or otherwise) shall have been disclosed to the Representatives and complied with to their reasonable satisfaction. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, as amended from time to time, shall have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A under the Act shall have been taken or, to the knowledge of the Company or the Selling Shareholders, shall be contemplated or threatened by the Commission and no injunction, restraining order or order of any nature by a Bermuda or U.S. Federal or state or foreign court shall have been issued as of the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, that would prevent the issuance of the Shares by the Company or the sale of the Shares by the Selling Shareholders.
(b) The Representatives shall have received on the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the opinion of Xxxxxx, Xxxxx & Xxxxxxx LLP, counsel for the Company and certain Selling Shareholders, dated the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, addressed to the Underwriters to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto.
(c) The Representatives shall have received on the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the opinion of Xxxxxxx Xxxx & Xxxxxxx, Bermuda counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, addressed to the Underwriters (and stating that it may be relied upon by counsel to the Underwriters) to the effect set forth in Exhibit C hereto.
(d) The Representatives shall have received on the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the opinion of Xxx Xx Law Offices, PRC counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, addressed to the Underwriters to the effect set forth in Exhibit D hereto. In addition, the Company shall furnish to the Representatives written consent from such PRC counsel to release a certified true copy of such opinion to the Underwriters.
(e) The Representatives shall have received on the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the opinion of Xxx and Li, ROC counsel for the Company and certain Selling Shareholders, dated the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, addressed to the Underwriters to the effect set forth in Exhibit E hereto.
(f) The Representatives shall have received on the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the opinion of Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxxxx & Xxxxxxxxx, Cayman Islands counsel for the Company and certain Selling Shareholders, dated the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, addressed to the Underwriters to the effect set forth in Exhibit F hereto.
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(g) The Representatives shall have received on the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the opinion of King & Wood, Hong Kong counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, addressed to the Underwriters to the effect set forth in Exhibit G hereto.
(h) The Representatives shall have received on the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the opinion of Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Rato, Xxxx, Xxxx & Xxxxx—Advogados, Macau counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, addressed to the Underwriters (and stating that it may be relied upon by counsel to the Underwriters) to the effect set forth in Exhibit H hereto.
(i) The Representatives shall have received on the Closing Date, the opinion of Xxxxxxx Xxxx & Xxxxxxx, British Virgin Islands counsel for certain Selling Shareholders, dated the Closing Date, addressed to the Underwriters to the effect set forth in Exhibit I hereto.
(j) The Representatives shall have received from Pillsbury Xxxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxxx LLP, U.S. counsel for the Underwriters, an opinion dated the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, with respect to such matters as the Representatives may reasonably require.
(k) You shall have received, on each of the date hereof, the Closing Date and, if applicable, the Option Closing Date, a letter dated the date hereof, the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, in form and substance satisfactory to you, of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP confirming that they are an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company and the Subsidiaries within the meaning of the Act and the applicable Rules and Regulations and the PCAOB and stating that in their opinion the financial statements and schedules examined by them and included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus comply in form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the related Rules and Regulations; and containing such other statements and information as is ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to Underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial and statistical information contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(l) The Representatives shall have received on the Closing Date and, if applicable, the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, a certificate or certificates of the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer of the Company to the effect that, as of the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, each of them severally represents as follows:
(i) The Registration Statement has become effective under the Act and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or no order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus has been issued, and no proceedings for such purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Act have been taken or are, to his or her knowledge, contemplated or threatened by the Commission;
(ii) The representations and warranties of the Company contained in Section 1 hereof are true and correct as of the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be;
(iii) All filings required to have been made pursuant to Rules 424 or 430A under the Act have been made as and when required by such rules;
(iv) He or she has carefully examined the General Disclosure Package and any individual Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus and, in his or her opinion, as of the Applicable Time, the statements contained in the General Disclosure Package and any individual Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact, and such General Disclosure Package and any individual Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus, when considered together with the General Disclosure Package, did not omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;
(v) He or she has carefully examined the Registration Statement and, in his or her opinion, as of the effective date of the Registration Statement, the Registration Statement and any amendments
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thereto did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact and did not omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading, and since the effective date of the Registration Statement, no event has occurred which should have been set forth in a supplement to or an amendment of the Prospectus which has not been so set forth in such supplement or amendment;
(vi) He or she has carefully examined the Prospectus and, in his or her opinion, as of its date and the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the Prospectus and any amendments and supplements thereto did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact and did not omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and
(vii) Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and Prospectus, there has not been any material adverse change or any development involving a prospective material adverse change in or affecting the business, management, properties, assets, rights, operations, condition (financial or otherwise) or prospects of the Company and the Subsidiaries taken as a whole, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business.
(m) The Representatives shall have received on the Closing Date and, if applicable, the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, a certificate of the Selling Shareholders to the effect that, as of the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, each of them severally represents as follows:
(i) The representations and warranties of such Selling Shareholder contained in Section 1 hereof are true and correct as of the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be; and
(ii) Such Selling Shareholder has complied with all of the agreements and satisfied all of the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder on or prior to such date.
(n) On the date hereof, the Selling Shareholders shall have furnished for review by the Representatives executed copies of the Power of Attorney and Custody Agreement.
(o) The Company and the Selling Shareholders shall have furnished to the Representatives such further certificates and documents confirming the representations and warranties, covenants and conditions contained herein and related matters as the Representatives may reasonably have requested.
(p) The Firm Shares and Option Shares, if any, have been duly listed, subject to notice of issuance, on The NASDAQ Global Market.
(q) The Lockup Agreements described in Section 4(x) are in full force and effect.
The opinions and certificates mentioned in this Agreement shall be deemed to be in compliance with the provisions hereof only if they are in all material respects satisfactory to the Representatives and to Pillsbury Xxxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxxx LLP, counsel for the Underwriters.
If any of the conditions hereinabove provided for in this Section 6 shall not have been fulfilled when and as required by this Agreement to be fulfilled, the obligations of the Underwriters hereunder may be terminated by the Representatives by notifying the Company and the Selling Shareholders of such termination in writing or by telegram at or prior to the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be.
In such event, the Selling Shareholders, the Company and the Underwriters shall not be under any obligation to each other (except to the extent provided in Sections 5 and 8 hereof).
7. CONDITIONS OF THE OBLIGATIONS OF THE SELLERS.
The obligations of the Sellers to sell and deliver the portion of the Shares required to be delivered as and when specified in this Agreement are subject to the conditions that at the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued and in effect or proceedings therefor initiated or threatened.
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8. INDEMNIFICATION.
(a) The Company agrees:
(i) to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, the directors and officers of each Underwriter and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which such Underwriter or any such controlling person may become subject under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions or proceedings in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon (A) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, (B) with respect to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement thereto, the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or (C) with respect to any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances under which they were made; provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement, or omission or alleged omission made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the Prospectus, or such amendment or supplement, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by or through the Representatives specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 13 herein; and
(ii) to reimburse each Underwriter, each Underwriters’ directors and officers, and each such controlling person upon demand for any legal or other out-of-pocket expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter or such controlling person in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage or liability, action or proceeding or in responding to a subpoena or governmental inquiry related to the offering of the Shares, whether or not such Underwriter or controlling person is a party to any action or proceeding. In the event that it is finally judicially determined that the Underwriters were not entitled to receive payments for legal and other expenses pursuant to this subparagraph, the Underwriters will promptly return all sums that had been advanced pursuant hereto.
(b) The Selling Shareholders, severally in proportion to the number of Shares to be sold by each of them hereunder, agree to indemnify the Underwriters, each Underwriters’ directors and officers and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which such Underwriter or controlling person may become subject under the Act or otherwise to the same extent as indemnity is provided by the Compnay pursuant to Section 8(a) above; provided, however, that each Selling Shareholder shall be liable in any such case only to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action arises out of, or is based upon, any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information concerning such Selling Shareholder furnished to the Company by such Selling Shareholder specifically for inclusion therein. This indemnity obligation will be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have.
(c) Each Underwriter severally and not jointly will indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors, each of its officers who have signed the Registration Statement, the Selling Shareholders, and each person, if any, who controls the Company or the Selling Shareholders within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which the Company or any such director, officer, Selling Shareholder or controlling person may become subject under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions or proceedings in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing
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Prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, (ii) with respect to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement thereto, the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or (iii) with respect to any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances under which they were made ; and will reimburse any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company or any such director, officer, Selling Shareholder or controlling person in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability, action or proceeding; provided, however, that each Underwriter will be liable in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission has been made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the Prospectus or such amendment or supplement, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by or through the Representatives specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 13 herein. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability which such Underwriter may otherwise have.
(d) In case any proceeding (including any governmental investigation) shall be instituted involving any person in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to this Section 8, such person (the “indemnified party”) shall promptly notify the person against whom such indemnity may be sought (the “indemnifying party”) in writing. provided, however, that the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have under this Section 8 except to the extent it has been materially prejudiced by such failure and, provided, further, that the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have to an indemnified party otherwise than under this Section 8. In case any such proceeding shall be brought against any indemnified party and it shall notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it shall wish, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party and shall pay as incurred the fees and disbursements of such counsel related to such proceeding. In any such proceeding, any indemnified party shall have the right to retain its own counsel at its own expense. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the indemnifying party shall pay as incurred (or within 30 days of presentation) the fees and expenses of the counsel retained by the indemnified party in the event (i) the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have mutually agreed to the retention of such counsel, (ii) the named parties to any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the indemnifying party and the indemnified party and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them or (iii) the indemnifying party shall have failed to assume the defense and employ counsel acceptable to the indemnified party within a reasonable period of time after notice of commencement of the action. Such firm shall be designated in writing by you in the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 8(a), (b), or (c) and by the Company and the Selling Shareholders in the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 8(c). The indemnifying party shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. In addition, the indemnifying party will not, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment in any pending or threatened claim, action or proceeding of which indemnification may be sought hereunder (whether or not any indemnified party is an actual or potential party to such claim, action or proceeding) unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such claim, action or proceeding.
(e) To the extent the indemnification provided for in this Section 8 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under Section 8(a), (b), or (c) above in respect of any losses, claims,
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damages or liabilities (or actions or proceedings in respect thereof) referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions or proceedings in respect thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company and the Selling Shareholders, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, from the offering of the Shares. If, however, the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is not permitted by applicable law then each indemnifying party shall contribute to such amount paid or payable by such indemnified party in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company and the Selling Shareholders, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions or proceedings in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company and the Selling Shareholders on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the Selling Shareholders bear to the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or the Selling Shareholders on the one hand or the Underwriters on the other and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.
The Company, the Selling Shareholders and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this Section 8(e) were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this Section 8(e). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions or proceedings in respect thereof) referred to above in this Section 8(f) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (e), (i) no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the underwriting discounts and commissions applicable to the Shares purchased by such Underwriter, (ii) no person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation, and (iii) no Selling Shareholder shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the proceeds received by such Selling Shareholder from the Underwriters in the offering. The Underwriters’ obligations in this Section 8(e) to contribute are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint.
(f) In any proceeding relating to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the Prospectus or any supplement or amendment thereto, each party against whom contribution may be sought under this Section 8 hereby consents to the jurisdiction of any court having jurisdiction over any other contributing party, agrees that process issuing from such court may be served upon it by any other contributing party and consents to the service of such process and agrees that any other contributing party may join it as an additional defendant in any such proceeding in which such other contributing party is a party.
(g) The Company has validly appointed Xxxx X. Xxxxx, Chief Executive Officer, c/o Alpha and Omega Semiconductor Incorporated, as its authorized agent for service of process pursuant to this Agreement and in connection with the Registration Statement.
(h) Any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses for which an indemnified party is entitled to indemnification or contribution under this Section 8 shall be paid by the indemnifying party to the indemnified party as such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses are incurred. The indemnity and contribution agreements contained in this Section 8 and the representations and warranties of the Company set forth in this Agreement shall remain operative and in full force and effect, regardless of (i) any
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investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, its directors or officers or any person controlling any Underwriter, the Company, its directors or officers or any persons controlling the Company, (ii) acceptance of any Shares and payment therefor hereunder, and (iii) any termination of this Agreement. A successor to any Underwriter, its directors or officers or any person controlling any Underwriter, or to the Company, its directors or officers, or any person controlling the Company, shall be entitled to the benefits of the indemnity, contribution and reimbursement agreements contained in this Section 8.
9. DEFAULT BY UNDERWRITERS.
If on the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, any Underwriter shall fail to purchase and pay for the portion of the Shares which such Underwriter has agreed to purchase and pay for on such date (otherwise than by reason of any default on the part of the Company or a Selling Shareholder), you, as Representatives of the Underwriters, shall use your reasonable efforts to procure within 36 hours thereafter one or more of the other Underwriters, or any others, to purchase from the Company and the Selling Shareholders such amounts as may be agreed upon and upon the terms set forth herein, the Shares which the defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters failed to purchase. If during such 36 hours you, as such Representatives, shall not have procured such other Underwriters, or any others, to purchase the Shares agreed to be purchased by the defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters, then (a) if the aggregate number of shares with respect to which such default shall occur does not exceed 10% of the Shares to be purchased on the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the other Underwriters shall be obligated, severally, in proportion to the respective numbers of Shares which they are obligated to purchase hereunder, to purchase the Shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters failed to purchase, or (b) if the aggregate number of shares of Shares with respect to which such default shall occur exceeds 10% of the Shares to be purchased on the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the Company and the Selling Shareholders (only with respect to the Closing Date) or you as the Representatives of the Underwriters will have the right, by written notice given within the next 36-hour period to the parties to this Agreement, to terminate this Agreement without liability on the part of the non-defaulting Underwriters or of the Company or of the Selling Shareholders except to the extent provided in Sections 5 and 8 hereof. In the event of a default by any Underwriter or Underwriters, as set forth in this Section 9, the Closing Date or Option Closing Date, as the case may be, may be postponed for such period, not exceeding seven days, as you, as Representatives, may determine in order that the required changes in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or in the Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements may be effected. The term “Underwriter” includes any person substituted for a defaulting Underwriter. Any action taken under this Section 9 shall not relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of any default of such Underwriter under this Agreement.
10. NOTICES.
All communications hereunder shall be in writing and, except as otherwise provided herein, will be mailed, delivered, telecopied or telegraphed and confirmed as follows: if to the Underwriters, to Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., 00 Xxxx Xxxxxx, 0xx Xxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000; Attention: Syndicate Manager, with a copy to Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., 00 Xxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, Attention: General Counsel (Fax: (000) 000-0000), and to Xxxxx Xxxxxxx & Co., 000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxx 00000, Attention: General Counsel (Fax: (000) 000-0000); if to the Company or the Selling Shareholders, to the address of the Company set forth in the Registration Statement, Attention: Chief Financial Officer (Fax: (000) 000-0000), with a copy to Xxxxxx Xxxxx & Xxxxxxx LLP, 2 Palo Alto Square, 0000 Xx Xxxxxx Xxxx, Xxxxx 000, Xxxx Xxxx, XX 00000-0000, Attention: Xxxxx X. Xxxxx (Fax: (000) 000-0000).
11. TERMINATION.
This Agreement may be terminated by you by notice to the Sellers
(a) at any time prior to the Closing Date or any Option Closing Date (if different from the Closing Date and then only as to Option Shares) if any of the following has occurred: (i) since the respective dates as of
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which information is given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, any material adverse change or any development involving a prospective material adverse change in or affecting the earnings, business, management, properties, assets, rights, operations, condition (financial or otherwise) or prospects of the Company and the Subsidiaries taken as a whole, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, (ii) any outbreak or escalation of hostilities or declaration of war or national emergency or other national or international calamity or crisis (including, without limitation, an act of terrorism) or change in economic or political conditions if the effect of such outbreak, escalation, declaration, emergency, calamity, crisis or change on the financial markets of the United States would, in your judgment, make it impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or deliver of the Shares or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Shares, or (iii) suspension of trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE Amex or The NASDAQ Global Market or limitation on prices (other than limitations on hours or numbers of days of trading) for securities on either such Exchange, (iv) the enactment, publication, decree or other promulgation of any statute, regulation, rule or order of any court or other governmental authority which in your opinion materially and adversely affects or may materially and adversely affect the business or operations of the Company, (v) the declaration of a banking moratorium by United States or New York State authorities, Bermuda authorities, PRC authorities or ROC authorities, or (vi) any downgrading, or placement on any watch list for possible downgrading, in the rating of any of the Company’s debt securities by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” (as defined for purposes of Rule 436(g) under the Exchange Act); (vii) the suspension of trading of the Common Shares by The NASDAQ Global Market, the Commission, or any other governmental authority; or
(b) as provided in Sections 6 and 9 of this Agreement.
12. SUCCESSORS.
This Agreement has been and is made solely for the benefit of the Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Shareholders and their respective successors, executors, administrators, heirs and assigns, and the officers, directors and controlling persons referred to herein, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder. No purchaser of any of the Shares from any Underwriter shall be deemed a successor or assign merely because of such purchase.
13. INFORMATION PROVIDED BY UNDERWRITERS.
The Company, the Selling Shareholders and the Underwriters acknowledge and agree that the only information furnished or to be furnished by any Underwriter to the Company for inclusion in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus consists of the information set forth in the third, and tenth through fifteenth paragraphs under the caption “Underwriting” in the Prospectus.
14. MISCELLANEOUS.
The reimbursement, indemnification and contribution agreements contained in this Agreement and the representations, warranties and covenants in this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect regardless of (a) any termination of this Agreement, (b) any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or controlling person thereof, or by or on behalf of the Company or its directors or officers or any Selling Shareholder or controlling person thereof, as the case may be, and (c) delivery of and payment for the Shares under this Agreement.
The Company and the Selling Shareholders acknowledge and agree that each Underwriter in providing investment banking services to the Company and the Selling Shareholders in connection with the offering, including in acting pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, has acted and is acting as an independent contractor
26
and not as a fiduciary and the Company and the Selling Shareholders do not intend such Underwriter to act in any capacity other than as an independent contractor, including as a fiduciary or in any other position of higher trust.
This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the law of the State of New York, including, without limitation, Section 5-1401 of the New York General Obligations Law.
The Underwriters, on the one hand, and the Company (on its own behalf and, to the extent permitted by law, on behalf of its shareholders), on the other hand, waive any right to trial by jury in any action, claim, suit or proceeding with respect to the your engagement as underwriter or your role in connection herewith.
The Company and each Selling Shareholder hereby irrevocably submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any New York Court over any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement, the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, or the offering of the Shares. The Company and each Selling Shareholder hereby irrevocably waive, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any objection which it or they may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such a court and any claim that any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such a court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. To the extent that the Company or any Selling Shareholder has or hereafter may acquire any immunity (on the grounds of sovereignty or otherwise) from the jurisdiction of any court or from any legal process with respect to itself or themselves or its or their property, such party irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, such immunity in respect of any such suit, action or proceeding.
The Company and each Selling Shareholder hereby irrevocably appoint Xxxx Xxxxx, with offices at 000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx 00000, as their respective agent for service of process in any suit, action or proceeding described in the preceding paragraph and agree that service of process in any such suit, action or proceeding may be made upon the Company or the Selling Shareholder, as the case may be, at the office of such agent. The Company and each Selling Shareholder waive, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any other requirements of or objections to personal jurisdiction with respect thereto. The Company and each Selling Shareholder represent and warrant that such agent has agreed to act as agent for service of process, and the Company and each Selling Shareholder agree to take any and all action, including the filing of any and all documents and instruments and the paying of fees and expenses, that may be necessary to continue such appointment in full force and effect for a period of seven (7) years from the date of this Agreement.
The obligation of the Company and each Selling Shareholder in respect of any sum due to any Underwriter shall, notwithstanding any judgment in a currency other than United States dollars, not be discharged until the first business day, following receipt by such Underwriter of any sum adjudged to be so due in such other currency, on which (and only to the extent that) such Underwriter may in accordance with normal banking procedures purchase United States dollars with such other currency; if the United States dollars so purchased are less than the sum originally due to such Underwriter hereunder, the Company and each Selling Shareholder agree, as a separate obligation and notwithstanding any such judgment, to indemnify such Underwriter against such loss. If the United States dollars so purchased are greater than the sum originally due to such Underwriter hereunder, such Underwriter agrees to pay to the Company or the Selling Shareholder, as the case may be, an amount equal to the excess of the dollars so purchased over the sum originally due to such Underwriter hereunder.
If the foregoing letter is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to us the enclosed duplicates hereof, whereupon it will become a binding agreement among the Selling Shareholders, the Company and the several Underwriters in accordance with its terms.
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Any person executing and delivering this Agreement as Attorney-in-Fact for a Selling Shareholder represents by so doing that he has been duly appointed as Attorney-in-Fact by such Selling Shareholder pursuant to a validly existing and binding Power of Attorney which authorizes such Attorney-in-Fact to take such action.
Very truly yours, | ||
ALPHA AND OMEGA SEMICONDUCTOR LIMITED | ||
By |
| |
Selling Shareholders listed on Schedule II | ||
By |
| |
Attorney-in-Fact |
The foregoing Underwriting Agreement
is hereby confirmed and accepted as
of the date first above written.
DEUTSCHE BANK SECURITIES INC.
XXXXX XXXXXXX & CO.
As Representatives of the several
Underwriters listed on Schedule I
By: | Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. | |
By |
| |
Authorized Officer | ||
By |
| |
Authorized Officer | ||
By: | Xxxxx Xxxxxxx & Co. | |
By |
| |
Authorized Officer |
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SCHEDULE I
SCHEDULE OF UNDERWRITERS
Underwriter |
Number of Firm Shares to be Purchased | |
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. |
||
Xxxxx Xxxxxxx & Co. |
||
Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Partners LLC |
||
Xxxxx & Company, Inc. |
||
Total |
||
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SCHEDULE II
SCHEDULE OF SELLING SHAREHOLDERS
Selling Shareholder |
Number of Firm Shares to be Sold | |
Total |
||
30
SCHEDULE III
Xxxx X. Xxxxx
31
SCHEDULE IV
[Price and other terms of the offering conveyed orally]
32
SCHEDULE V
[To list each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to be included in the General Disclosure Package including Final Term Sheet, if applicable]
33
EXHIBIT A
LOCK-UP AGREEMENT
A-1
EXHIBIT B
FORM OF OPINION OF XXXXXX, XXXXX & BOCKIUS LLP
B-1
EXHIBIT C
FORM OF OPINION OF XXXXXXX XXXX & XXXXXXX
C-1
EXHIBIT D
FORM OF OPINION OF XXX XX LAW OFFICES
D-1
EXHIBIT E
FORM OF OPINION OF XXX AND LI
E-1
EXHIBIT F
FORM OF OPINION OF XXXXXXX XXXXX XXXXXXX & XXXXXXXXX
F-1
EXHIBIT G
FORM OF OPINION OF KING & WOOD
G-1
EXHIBIT H
FORM OF OPINION OF XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX, RATO, XXXX, XXXX & XXXXX—ADVOGADOS
H-1