TERMINATION AND LICENSE AGREEMENT
THIS
TERMINATION AND LICENSE AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is
made
as of the 19th day
of
December and effective as of November 23, 2005 (the “Effective
Date”)
by and
between Dyadic
Netherland, B.V.,
a Dutch
corporation (“Dyadic
NL”),
its
parent, Dyadic
International (USA), Inc.,
a
Florida, USA corporation (“Dyadic
USA”),
its
parent, Dyadic
International, Inc.,
a
Delaware, USA corporation (“Dyadic
Parent”
and
together with Dyadic NL and Dyadic USA, the “Dyadic
Parties”),
Nederlandse
Organisatie voor toegepast-natuurwetenschappeijk onderzoek TNO Netherlands
Organisation for Applied Scientific Research and more specifically TNO Quality
of Life
(formerly known as TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute), Zeist, the
Netherlands (“TNO”)
and
its wholly owned subsidiary, TNO
Bedrijven B.V.,
a Dutch
corporation (“TNO\BV”
and
together with TNO, the “TNO
Parties”).
The
Dyadic Parties and the TNO Parties are sometimes hereinafter collectively
referred to as the “Parties”
and
individually as a “Party.”
Certain capitalized terms not expressly defined elsewhere herein are defined
in
the glossary appearing in Article X hereof.
RECITALS:
A. Dyadic
NL, Dyadic USA and TNO are parties to that certain Cooperation and License
Agreement dated August 12, 2003 (the “Cooperation
Agreement”).
B. As
was
described in Section 1.1 of the Cooperation Agreement, Dyadic NL is engaged
in
the business of developing, commercializing and using high throughput robotic
screening (“HTRS”)
systems utilizing fungal organisms including the use of HTRS systems the scope
of which includes, but is not limited to, the discovery and development of
native, cDNA and evolved genes and expressed bio-molecules (including but not
limited to proteins, peptides, antibodies, enzymes and small molecules), and
libraries in fungi, as well as mode of action research and target gene
identification for antifungal drugs and fungicides, but which, for purposes
of
clarity, does not include the over expression of the aforementioned for
commercial purposes (referred to in the Cooperation Agreement and hereinafter
as
“the
Business”).
C. Under
the
Cooperation Agreement, and as part of the collaboration of TNO and Dyadic USA
to
develop an HTRS system utilizing fungal organisms (a “Fungal
HTRS System”),
TNO
licensed to Dyadic NL on an exclusive, worldwide basis for the sole purpose
of
conducting the Business (i) pursuant to Section 2.2 of the Collaboration
Agreement, International Patent Application WO 2000NL00544 (the “TNO
Patent”)
and
(ii) pursuant to Section 2.3 of the Collaboration Agreement, any additional
Technology not included in the TNO Patent (including without limitation,
Improvements to the TNO Patent) which TNO has developed, owns, licenses or
otherwise has the right to use as of the date of the Collaboration Agreement
or
thereafter, and which is necessary or useful for the conduct of the Business
(the “Additional
TNO Technology,”
and
together with the TNO Patent, collectively, the “TNO
Licensed Technology”).
D. Pursuant
to the terms of the Cooperation Agreement, as part consideration for its license
of the TNO Licensed Technology to Dyadic NL as described in Recital C (the
“Original
TNO License”),
TNO
was granted various rights (i) to receive royalties, profits and gains realized
by Dyadic NL from its successful commercialization of a Fungal HTRS System
and
certain option rights to purchase shares of Dyadic Parent stock (collectively,
the “Royalty
and
Equity
Interests”)
and
(ii) be paid fees for R&D services performed for Dyadic NL by TNO
(“Service
Fees”).
E. As
part
consideration for its Royalty and Equity Interests, in addition to the Original
TNO License and other undertakings set for in the Cooperation Agreement, TNO
made an investment in Dyadic NL of costs incurred by TNO prior to the date
of
the Cooperation Agreement in the amount of US$161,000, as fixed by Attachment
1
to the Cooperation Agreement (the “Investment
Amount”).
F. As
of the
Effective Date, Dyadic NL owes TNO US$377,000 of Service Fees for services
heretofore rendered by TNO to Dyadic NL (the “Unpaid
Service Fees”).
G. The
Parties now wish to (i) terminate the Cooperation Agreement and convert the
Original TNO License into a paid-up, exclusive, worldwide license to use the
TNO
Licensed Technology for the sole purpose of conducting the Business (the
“Replacement
TNO License”),
(ii)
extinguish in their entirety TNO’s Royalty and Equity Interests in Dyadic NV and
Dyadic Parent, (iii) have the Dyadic NV liability to TNO for the Unpaid Service
Fees satisfied in full, and (iv) effect that termination of the Cooperation
Agreement and the conversion of the TNO License into the Replacement TNO
License, the extinguishment of the Royalty and Equity Interests and the
satisfaction of the Unpaid Services Fees liability, respectively, by Dyadic
Parent’s issuance 161,560 shares of its Common Stock to TNO\BV (the
“Shares”),
all
upon and subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
AGREEMENT:
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing Recitals, the covenants and
agreements of the Parties herein below set forth and other good and valuable
consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which the Parties hereby each
mutually acknowledge, the Parties, for themselves and their respective
successors and assigns, agree as follows:
ARTICLE
I
ADOPTION
OF RECITALS
The
Parties adopt the foregoing Recitals and agree and affirm that the construction
of this Agreement shall be guided thereby.
ARTICLE
II
TERMINATION
OF COOPERATION AGREEMENT
Subject
to the provisions of Section 11.2 hereof pertaining to the continued force
and
effect of the Cooperation Agreement only as among the Dyadic Parties and not
TNO, as of the Effective Date the Cooperation Agreement is terminated and
without any further force or effect, and all rights and obligations of the
Dyadic Parties to TNO thereunder and all of the rights and obligations of TNO
to
the Dyadic Parties thereunder are cancelled in their entirety, including but
not
limited to (i) all of TNO’s Royalty and Equity Interests, (ii) any obligation of
any of the Dyadic Parties to pay any Service Fees to TNO for past services
rendered by it to Dyadic NL, including but not limited to the Unpaid Service
Fees and (iii) the termination of the Original TNO License,
subject to TNO’s grant to Dyadic NL of the Replacement TNO License pursuant to
the provisions of Article IV hereof.
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ARTICLE
III
ISSUANCE
OF SHARES TO TNO\BV
3.1 Purchase
and Sale of Shares. As
consideration to TNO for (i) the termination of the Cooperation Agreement and
grant to Dyadic NL of the Replacement TNO License upon the terms and conditions
of this Agreement, (ii) the extinguishment in their entirety of all of TNO’s
Royalty and Equity Interests in Dyadic NL and Dyadic Parent, and (iii) the
payment in full by Dyadic NL of its liability to TNO for the Unpaid Service
Fees, Dyadic Parent does hereby sell to TNO\BV, and TNO\BV does hereby purchase
from Dyadic Parent, 161,560 fully paid and non-assessable shares of $.001
par
value Common
Stock of Dyadic Parent (heretofore and hereafter, the “Shares”),
and
the TNO Parties hereby accept the Shares, subject to the restrictions imposed
by
applicable US securities laws, as set forth in Section 3.3 hereof.
3.2
TNO
Parties’ Securities Representations and Warranties.
In
connection with TNO\BV’s purchase of the Shares, the TNO Parties hereby
make
the
following representations and warranties to the Dyadic Parties:
(a) TNO\BV
has such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters in general
and with respect to businesses of a nature similar to Dyadic Parent so as to
be
capable of evaluating the merits and risks
of, and making an informed business decision with respect to, the acquisition
of
the Shares;
(b) TNO\BV
is
acquiring the Shares solely for its own account and not with a view to or for
resale in connection with any distribution or public offering thereof, within
the meaning of any applicable securities
laws
and regulations, unless such distribution or offering is registered under
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities
Act”),
or an
exemption from such registration is available.
(c) TNO\BV
(i) has received all the information it has deemed necessary to make an
informed investment decision with respect to an acquisition of the Shares;
(ii) understands that Dyadic Parent is subject to the reporting
requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
“Exchange
Act”),
and
has had the opportunity to review all publicly available filings made by Dyadic
Parent with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”)
pursuant to either the Securities Act or the Exchange Act; (iii) has had
the unrestricted opportunity to make such investigation as it has desired
pertaining to Dyadic Parent and the acquisition of the Shares and to verify
the
information that is, and has been, available to TNO\BV; and (iv) has had
the opportunity to ask questions of Dyadic Parent concerning Dyadic
Parent.
(d) TNO\BV
is an
“accredited investor” within the meaning of the Securities Act, is able to bear
the economic risk of its investment in the Shares for an indefinite period
of
time;
(e) TNO\BV
has received no public solicitation or advertisement with respect to the
Shares.
3
(f) TNO\BV
understands that the Shares are "restricted securities" as that term is defined
in Rule 144 promulgated by the SEC under the Securities Act, the resale of
these
Shares is restricted by federal and state securities laws and, accordingly,
the
Shares must be held indefinitely unless their resale is subsequently registered
under the Securities Act, effectuated pursuant to Rule 144, or Dyadic Parent
receives an opinion of counsel acceptable to Dyadic Parent or another exemption
from such registration is available for their resale.
3.3
Restrictions
on Transfer of Shares. TNO\BV
acknowledges and consents that certificates now or hereafter issued for the
Shares shall bear a legend with respect to the transfer restrictions under
the
Securities Act. TNO\BV further agrees that if the Shares or any portion thereof
are subsequently transferred, TNO\BV will execute, deliver and file all such
papers, documents and instruments as may be required by the SEC and any
applicable state securities commission to qualify the transfer for an exemption
from registration under the Securities Act, or any applicable state securities
laws, respectively, to the extent that such papers, documents and instruments
may be necessary for such transfer. TNO\BV also agrees to furnish Dyadic Parent
with a copy of all such papers, documents and instruments, and, in addition,
will furnish Dyadic Parent with any other information that Dyadic Parent may
reasonably require to ensure that no subsequent transfer or disposition of
the
Shares by TNO\BV is in violation of the Securities Act or any applicable US
state or Dutch securities laws. TNO\BV further acknowledges that it is aware
that stop-transfer instructions may be given to the transfer agent of the Shares
to prevent any illegal transfer of the Shares. For purposes hereof, the term
resale includes any transfer for value including the mortgage, pledge or
hypothecation of such Shares.
ARTICLE
IV
TNO\BV
PIGGYBACK REGISTRATION RIGHTS
4.1
Notice
of Registration of Dyadic Parent Securities.
Dyadic
Parent hereby covenants and agrees that in the event it shall take action to
register any of its securities under the Securities Act at any time during
the
two (2) year period following the Effective Date other than in the case of
a
registration being undertaken for the purpose of registering “Excluded
Securities” (as hereinafter defined), Dyadic Parent shall give TNO\BV and any
other Person that, as of that date, had been granted piggyback registration
rights by Dyadic Parent comparable to the piggyback registration rights granted
to TNO\BV in this Article IV (for purposes hereof, TNO\BV and all other such
holders being hereinafter referred to as “Rightsholders”)
written notice of Dyadic Parent’s intention to take that action (the
“Registration
Notice”).
4.2
TNO\BV
Piggyback Rights. TNO\BV
(together with all other Rightsholders) shall have the right, exercisable by
written notice to Dyadic Parent within forty-five (45) days following receipt
of
the Registration Notice from Dyadic Parent, to request the inclusion of all
or
such portion of the Shares as TNO\BV may elect in such registration, at the
expense of the Dyadic Parent (other than the commission costs of selling all
such Shares).
4.3
Registration
Process. Dyadic
Parent shall, subject to the provisions of this Article IV, thereupon use its
commercially reasonable efforts to (i) effect the registration of TNO\BV’s
Shares to the end that such registration under the Securities Act shall become
and remain effective, (ii) cause any underwriting agreement relating to Dyadic
Parent's securities to provide that TNO\BV shall have the right to sell its
Shares to the underwriters and that the underwriters shall purchase the Shares
at the price paid by the underwriters for the securities sold by Dyadic Parent,
and (iii) keep TNO\BV advised in writing as to the initiation of each
registration and as to the completion
4
thereof,
(iv) furnish such number of the registration statement and the prospectus
included therein, including preliminary prospectuses and other documents
incident thereto as TNO\BV from time to time may reasonably request, and (v)
cause all Shares covered by such registrations to be listed on each securities
exchange on which similar securities issued Dyadic Parent are listed, provided
that:
(a) TNO\BV
shall have timely executed and delivered the usual and customary agreement
between Dyadic Parent, TNO\BV and the underwriters relating to the registration;
(b) in
no
event shall Dyadic Parent be required to keep up to date or to supplement any
prospectus more than nine (9) months after the effective date of the
registration statement of which such prospectus is a part; and
(c) if
the
registration contemplated by the Registration Notice consists of an underwritten
offer and sale by Dyadic Parent for its own account of Dyadic Parent securities
to be registered under the Securities Act, and the managing underwriters advise
Dyadic Parent in writing that in their opinion the offering contemplated by
the
Registration Notice cannot be successfully completed if Dyadic Parent were
to
also register all of the “Registrable Shares” (as defined below) requested to be
included in such registration by the Rightsholders, then Dyadic Parent will
include in that registration: (i) first, any securities Dyadic Parent proposes
to sell as contemplated by the Registration Notice, and (ii) second, that
portion of the aggregate number of shares held by TNO\BV and all other
Rightsholders (collectively, the “Registrable
Shares”),
which
in the opinion of such managing underwriters can successfully be sold, such
number of Registrable Shares to be taken pro rata from the then Rightsholders
on
the basis of the total number of Registrable Shares then held by each of them,
with further like pro rata allocations among the Rightsholders of Registrable
Shares in the event that any Rightsholder has requested registration of less
than all of the Registrable Shares then held by such Rightsholder.
4.4
Excluded
Securities.
As
used
herein, the term “Excluded
Securities”
shall
mean securities of Dyadic Parent issued: (i) pursuant to a stock option or
other
compensatory equity compensation plan being maintained by Dyadic Parent for
employees, directors or other consultants to Dyadic Parent and its Affiliates);
or (ii) for the purpose of effecting an acquisition by Dyadic Parent of (or
the
procurement by Dyadic Parent of the right to acquire) another Person, by merger,
purchase of all or substantially all of the assets of such other Person or
by
other reorganization whereby Dyadic Parent ends up owning or will have the
right
to acquire, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the voting power of such
other Person.
ARTICLE
V
REPLACEMENT
TNO LICENSE GRANT AND COVENANTS
5
5.1 Grant
of Replacement TNO License.
In
lieu
of the Original TNO License grant made by TNO to Dyadic NL pursuant to Sections
2.2 and 2.3 of the Cooperation Agreement, and notwithstanding that Dyadic NL
has
not, to date, used any TNO Licensed Technology, TNO hereby grants to Dyadic
NL
(and any other Affiliate of Dyadic NL, if any, established to conduct the
Business in the future) a fully paid-up, exclusive, worldwide license in and
to
the TNO Licensed Technology, including the rights to use, modify, further
develop, improve and commercially exploit the TNO Licensed Technology for the
sole purpose of conducting the Business, with the right to assign the foregoing
license (heretofore and hereinafter referred to as the “Replacement
TNO License”)
and
sublicense the Replacement TNO License as set forth below, for the life of
the
last patent issued on any of the TNO Licensed Technology (or if no patent is
ever issued, for a term of eighteen (18) years, commencing with the Effective
Date), provided that (a) all Improvements to the TNO Licensed Technology,
whether or not developed by Dyadic NL, shall be the exclusive property of TNO
and (b) TNO shall promptly disclose any Improvements to Dyadic NL, subject
to
the confidentiality provisions of Article IX hereof.
5.2 Sublicenses.
Dyadic
NL
shall have the right to sublicense the TNO Replacement License to unrelated
Persons, but solely for the internal use by such Persons in connection with
their use of any Fungal HTRS System sold or licensed by Dyadic NL to such
Persons.
5.3
Assignment. In
the
event the Business is operated in whole or in part by an Affiliate of Xxxxxx
XX,
Xxxxxx XX shall have the right to assign the Replacement TNO License to that
Affiliate. The Replacement TNO License may only be assigned by Dyadic NL either
(i) to an Affiliate of Dyadic NL engaged in the conduct of the Business or
(ii)
an acquirer in connection with a sale of Dyadic NL or substantially all of
its
assets.
5.4
Covenant
Not to Compete.
TNO
covenants to Dyadic NL that for a period of six (6) years following the
Effective Date, without Dyadic NL’s consent, TNO will not, directly or
indirectly, conduct, collaborate with, perform research and development or
other
consulting services for or invest in any business engaged in the development,
licensing or sale of any HTRS system. TNO expressly acknowledges and agrees
that
by reason of its intimate familiarity with Dyadic NL’s Fungal HTRS System and
the technologies and business plans of the Dyadic Parties, the foregoing
covenant is vital to the protection of Dyadic NL’s goodwill, and that the Dyadic
Parties could not have justified the purchase of TNO’s Royalty and Equity
Interests in Dyadic NL for the Shares without the benefit of the foregoing
non-competition covenant in favor of Dyadic NL. TNO further expressly agrees
that the foregoing covenant not to compete shall be assignable by Dyadic NL
to
(i) an Affiliate engaging in the conduct of the Business and (ii) otherwise,
only in connection with a sale of substantially all of the assets of Dyadic
NL
to a third party.
5.5
Right
of First Offer for Non-Fugal Systems.
In
a
manner identical to the provisions of Section 2.4 of the Cooperation Agreement,
for a period of three (3) years following the date of this Agreement, TNO agrees
to offer Dyadic NL the right of first negotiation to acquire or license
bacterial and other nonfungal systems developed by TNO which relates to HTRS
systems. TNO shall notify Dyadic NL of any intent to offer any such technology
to a third party, and Dyadic NL shall have ninety (90) days to negotiate a
license or other arrangement with regard to use of such technology to conduct
the Business.
6
ARTICLE
VI
FUTURE
TNO SERVICES FOR DYADIC NL FUNGAL HTRS SYSTEM
6.1 Future
TNO Services in Connection with Fungal HTRS System.
From
time
to time Dyadic NL may, but shall not be obligated to, request TNO to furnish
Dyadic NL with research and development and\or other services in connection
with
Dyadic NL efforts to develop and commercialize its Fungal HTRS System
(“Additional
Services”).
In a
manner identical to the provisions of Section 1.4 of the Cooperation
Agreement:
(a) Service
Fees for Additional Services other
than research
provided
by TNO to Dyadic NL, such as facilities, personnel, marketing, administration
and accounting, shall be an amount equal to TNO’s cost (without
markup or overhead charges), provided,
however,
that
all such Additional Services and costs will be agreed to separately by Dyadic
NL
and TNO in writing prior to TNO’s performance of such Additional Services;
and
(b) Service
Fees for any Additional Services which TNO provides to Dyadic NL which are
research
services
shall be
charged at the same rate which TNO charges other departments within its
organization, provided,
however,
that in
no event shall such rates exceed the rates that TNO charges its “Preferred
Suppliers,” without regard to the quantity or dollar volume of HTRS Services
that Dyadic NL may elect to procure from TNO in any
calendar year.
6.2
Dyadic
Parent Guarantee of Payments by Dyadic NL.
Dyadic
Parent hereby unconditionally guarantees the payment when due, of all Services
Fees owed by Dyadic NL to TNO for its performance of Additional
Services.
ARTICLE
VII
REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES
7.1 Dyadic
Parties.
Each
Dyadic Party represents and warrants to the TNO Parties that:
(a) Dyadic
USA is a duly organized corporation validly existing under the laws of the
State
of Florida and has the requisite power and authority to enter into and carry
out
the terms of this Agreement; Dyadic Parent is
a duly organized corporation validly existing under the laws of the State of
Delaware and has the requisite power and authority to enter into and carry
out
the terms of this Agreement; and Dyadic NL is a duly organized
corporation validly existing under the laws of the Netherlands and has the
requisite power and authority to enter into and carry out the terms of this
Agreement.
(b) All
corporate actions required to be taken by each of the Dyadic Parties to
consummate this Agreement have been taken and no further approval of any board,
court, or other body is necessary in order to permit
each
of the Dyadic Parties to consummate this Agreement.
7
(c) To
the
best of its knowledge, neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement,
nor
the performance or the compliance with this Agreement, has resulted (or will
result) in any violation of, or be in conflict with,
or
invalidate, cancel, or make inoperative, or interfere with, or constitute a
default under, any charter, bylaw, agreement, permit, judgment, decree or order,
to which any Dyadic Party is a party and there is no default and
no event or omission has occurred which, but for the passing of time or the
giving of notice, or both, would constitute a default on the part of any Party
under this Agreement.
(d) The
Shares issued to TNO\BV have been duly authorized for issuance and sale, have
been validly issued and are fully-paid and non-assessable.
(e) The
Fungal HTRS System does not use or employ any technology which was licensed
by
TNO to Dyadic NL under the Cooperation Agreement, including but not limited
to
the TNO Licensed Technology.
7.2
TNO
Parties.
Each TNO
Party represents and warrants to the Dyadic Parties that:
(a) Each
of
the TNO Parties is duly organized legal entity validly existing under the laws
of the Netherlands and has the requisite power and authority to enter into
and
carry out the terms of this Agreement.
(b) All
corporate actions required to be taken by each of the TNO Parties to consummate
this Agreement have been taken and that no further approval of any board, court,
or other body is necessary in order to
permit
the TNO Parties to consummate this Agreement.
(c) To
the
best of their knowledge, neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement,
nor the performance of or the compliance with this Agreement, has resulted
(or
will result) in any violation of, or be in conflict
with, or invalidate, cancel, or make inoperative, or interfere with, or
constitute a default under any charter, bylaw, agreement, permit, judgment,
decree, or order, to which either TNO Party is a party and there is no default
and no event or omission has occurred which, but for the passing of time or
the
giving of notice, or both, would constitute a default on the part of either
TNO
Party under this Agreement.
TNO represents and warrants to the Dyadic Parties that:
(d) The
Fungal HTRS System does not use or employ any Technology which was licensed
by
TNO to Dyadic NL under the Cooperation Agreement, including but not limited
to
the TNO Licensed Technology.
(e) Exclusive
of the TNO Licensed Technology, TNO has no proprietary rights whatsoever in
any
technology of any kind owned, licensed or used by any of the Dyadic
Parties.
ARTICLE
VIII
CONFIDENTIALITY
Except
as otherwise provided in this Article VIII, the TNO Parties , on the one hand,
and the Dyadic Parties and their Affiliates (jointly and severally, the
“Dyadic
Group”),
on
the other hand, each agrees to retain in
8
strict
confidence any proprietary confidential information and trade secrets of the
disclosing Group,
whether
disclosed prior to the date of the Cooperation Agreement, thereafter or after
the date hereof, and not to use or disclose to third parties, and to use its
best efforts to cause the employees, agents or consultants of its Group not
to
use or disclose to third parties, such proprietary confidential information
and
trade secrets of the disclosing Group to or for any third party without the
prior approval in writing of TNO, in the case where the TNO Parties is the
disclosing Party, or Dyadic USA, in the case where the Dyadic Group is the
disclosing Group, unless it can be established by the receiving Group that
such
information of the disclosing Group:
(a) was
at
the time of disclosure part of the public knowledge or literature and readily
accessible to such third party;
(b) was
at
the time of disclosure already known by the receiving Group otherwise than
under
an obligation of confidentiality;
(c) is
required by law to be disclosed; or
(d) is
required by any vendor, supplier or consultant in order to carry out the
Business, provided that the receiving Group shall obtain the written
confidentiality obligation of such third party in a
form
satisfactory to
the
disclosing Group prior to disclosing such information.
ARTICLE
IX
DISPUTE
RESOLUTION AND ARBITRATION
9.1
Arbitration
Required.
Except
as provided otherwise in this Article IX, any dispute, claim, controversy or
difference between Dyadic Group and the TNO Parties arising out of this
Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby (a “Dispute”)
which
the Parties are unable to resolve themselves shall first be submitted in writing
to the Director of TNO Quality of Life and the CEO of Dyadic Parent for
resolution. Any such Dispute which is not resolved within sixty (60) days of
submission to such executives shall be submitted to and resolved by arbitration
as herein provided in this Article IX. If either the Dyadic Group or the TNO
Parties demands arbitration under this Agreement, such Party (an “Initiating
Party”)
shall
initiate such arbitration by delivering written notice (the “Arbitration
Notice”)
to the
other Party with whom arbitration is sought (the “Responding Party”).
Any
Arbitration Notice shall contain a statement setting forth the nature of the
Dispute, the amount involved, if any, and the remedy sought.
9.2
Procedure.
Any
Dispute subject to arbitration shall be arbitrated in Amsterdam, the
Netherlands, in accordance with the rules of arbitration then in effect of
the
International Chamber of Commerce. Each Party to such arbitration agrees that
any award of the arbitrator shall be final, conclusive and binding and that
they
will not contest any action by any other Party thereto in accordance with an
award of the arbitrator. It is specifically understood and agreed that any
Party
may enforce any award rendered pursuant to the arbitration provisions of this
Article IX by bringing suit in any court of competent jurisdiction.
9.3
Fees
and Costs.
All
fees, costs and expenses (including arbitration fees and reasonable attorneys’
fees and expenses) incurred by the Group that prevails in any such arbitration
commenced pursuant to this Article IX, or any judicial action or proceeding
seeking to enforce the agreement to arbitrate disputes as set forth in this
Article IX or seeking to enforce any order or award of any arbitration commenced
pursuant to this Article IX or seeking to enforce the confidentiality provisions
of Article VIII hereof shall be assessed against the party or parties that
do
not prevail in such arbitration.
9
9.4
Judicial
Remedies for Breach of Non-Competition Covenant.
The
provisions of this Article IX notwithstanding, TNO expressly acknowledges and
agrees that if it commits a breach, or threatens to commit a breach of any
of
the provisions of Section 5.4 or Section 5.5 hereof, Dyadic NL or any
successor-in-interest, shall have the right and remedy, in addition to any
other
remedy that may be available at law or in equity, to have the provisions of
Section 5.4 or Section 5.5 specifically enforced by any court having equity
jurisdiction, by the entry of temporary, preliminary and permanent injunctions
and orders of specific performance, together with an accounting therefor, it
being expressly acknowledged and agreed by TNO that any such breach or
threatened breach will cause irreparable injury to Dyadic NL and/or such
affected successor-in-interest and that money damages will not provide an
adequate remedy to Dyadic NL. Any such injunction shall be available without
the
posting of any bond or other security, and TNO hereby consents to the issuance
of such injunction. TNO further agrees that any such injunctive relief obtained
by Dyadic NL or any successor-in-interest shall be in addition to, and not
in
lieu of, monetary damages and any other remedies to which Dyadic NL or any
successor-in-interest may be entitled. Further, in the event of an alleged
breach or violation by TNO of any of the provisions of Section 5.4, the balance
of the non-competition period fixed by Section 5.4 or Section 5.5 shall be
tolled until such breach or violation has been cured. The Parties agree that
in
the event of the institution of any action at law or in equity by either party
to enforce the provisions of Section 5.4or Section 5.5, the losing party shall
pay all of the costs and expenses of the prevailing party, including reasonable
legal fees, incurred in connection therewith. If any covenant contained in
Section 5.4 or Section 5.5 or any part thereof is hereafter construed to be
invalid or unenforceable, the same shall not affect the remainder of such
covenant or any other covenants, which shall be given full effect, without
regard to the invalid portions, and any court having jurisdiction shall have
the
power to modify such covenant to the least extent necessary to render it
enforceable and, in its modified form, said covenant shall then be
enforceable.
ARTICLE
X
DEFINITIONS
Capitalized
terms not otherwise defined in this Agreement shall have the following
meanings:
(a) “Affiliate”
means
a
Person or entity, which directly
or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled
by,
or is under common control with the Party specified.
(b) “Improvements”
means
any Technology that is covered by a claim of any patent right within the TNO
Licensed Technology, whether or not patentable, or developed or acquired by
Dyadic NL (and other
Dyadic NL Affiliates, if any, established to conduct the Business in the
future) or any other Party, if any during the term of the Cooperation Agreement
or the term of this Agreement, and which is useful in connection with
the Business.
(c) “Person”
means
an individual, a partnership, a joint venture, a corporation, a trust, an
estate, an unincorporated organization or a government or any department or
agency thereof.
(d) “Technology”
means
all general and specific knowledge, experience and information, including
without limitation all inventions, trade secrets, know-how and improvements
thereof and all patent and proprietary
10
rights now owned or possessed by TNO or hereafter developed or acquired in
the
field of HTRS systems utilizing fungal organisms, relating to the
Business.
ARTICLE
XI
GENERAL
11.1
Term.
The
term
of this Agreement shall commence on the date hereof and terminate upon the
first
to occur of the following events:
(a) the
execution and delivery of a termination agreement signed by all of the Parties;
or
(b) the
expiration of the term of the Replacement TNO License fixed by the provisions
of
Article V hereof.
11.2
No
Termination of Cooperation Agreement as Between Dyadic Parties Inter
Se.
Notwithstanding the termination of the Cooperation Agreement as between the
Dyadic Parties, on the one hand, and TNO, on the other hand, as between and
among the Dyadic Parties, all of the provisions of the Cooperation Agreement
pertaining to the relative rights and obligations of Dyadic Parent and Dyadic
USA to Dyadic NL thereunder, and the relative rights and obligations of Dyadic
NL to Dyadic Parent and Dyadic USA thereunder, shall remain in full force and
effect as between them, provided nothing whatsoever in this Section 11.2 shall
have the effect of conferring upon or imposing on the TNO Parties any rights
in
or obligations under the Cooperation Agreement.
11.3
Governing
Law.
This
Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Netherlands, without regard to
conflicts of laws principles.
11.4
Notices.
All
notices required or permitted by this Agreement shall be in writing and may
be
delivered in person or may be sent by personal delivery, facsimile transmission
or overnight courier services and addressed as follows:
in
case of Dyadic Parent or
Dyadic
USA, to:
|
Dyadic
International, Inc.
000
Xxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxx 000
Xxxxxxx,
Xxxxxxx 00000-0000
Attn:
Xxxx X. Xxxxxxxx, Chief Executive Officer
|
in
the case of TNO, to:
|
TNO
Quality of Life
XX
Xxx 000
0000
XX Xxxxx, Xxx Xxxxxxxxxxx
Attn:
Dr. Jan Pieter van der Lugt MBA
Facsimile:x00
00 000 00 00
|
in
the case of Dyadic NL, to:
|
Dyadic
NL
XX
Xxx 000
0000
XX Xxxxx, Xxx Xxxxxxxxxxx
Attn:
Xxxx X. Xxxxxxxx, Chief Executive Officer
Facsimile:x00
00 000 00 00
|
In
the case of TNO\BV, to:
|
TNO
Bedrijven BV
XX
Xxx 0000
0000
XX Xxxxx, Xxx Xxxxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
00
0000
XX Xxxxx, Xxx Xxxxxxxxxxx
Attn:
director
Facsimile:x00
00 0000000
|
or
to
such other address as shall, from time to time, be supplied in writing by any
party to the other. Notices shall be deemed given on the date actually received
by the addressee.
11.5
Parties
Independent.
In
making
and performing this Agreement, each Party acts and shall act at all times as
independent entity and nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed
or
implied to create an agency or partnership relationship between them. Except
as
specifically provided herein, at no time shall any Party make commitments or
incur any charges or expenses for or in the name of the other
Parties.
11.6
Severability.
Whenever
possible, each provision of this Agreement will be interpreted in such manner
as
to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of this
Agreement is held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect under
any applicable law or rule in any jurisdiction, such invalidity, illegality
or
unenforceability will not affect any other provision or any other jurisdiction,
but this Agreement will be reformed, construed and enforced in such jurisdiction
as if such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provision had never been contained
herein.
11.7
Successors
and Assigns.
This
Agreement shall bind and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their
respective successors and assigns.
11.8
Counterparts.
This
Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an
original and all of which, when taken together, shall constitute one and the
same instrument.
11.9
Further
Assurances.
The
Parties hereto agree that they will cooperate with each other and will execute
and deliver, or cause to be delivered, all such other instruments, and will
take
all such other actions, as either party hereto may reasonably request from
time
to time in order to effectuate the provisions and purposes hereof.
11.10
Complete
Agreement.
Subject
to the provisions of Section 11.2 hereof as between and among the Dyadic Parties
only, this Agreement contains the entire agreement of the Dyadic Parties and
the
TNO Parties relating to the subject matter hereof, terminates the Cooperation
Agreement and supersedes all prior agreements and understanding between them
with respect to such subject matter. The Dyadic Parties and the TNO Parties
hereto have made no agreements, representations or warranties relating to the
subject matter of this Agreement which are not set forth herein. This Agreement,
however, shall have no impact on or otherwise affect any other agreement between
TNO and the Dyadic Parties pertaining to any other services TNO may be providing
to any of the Dyadic Parties unrelated to the Fungal HTRS
System.
11
11.11
Amendments.
No
change, modification or amendment of any provision of this Agreement shall
be
valid unless made in writing and signed by the Parties hereto; provided,
however, that changes, modifications, or amendments to those provisions of
this
Agreement that apply only to a single Party need only be signed by that
Party.
11.12
Waivers.
The
waiver by a Party of a breach of any provision of this Agreement by another
Party shall not operate or be construed as a waiver of any subsequent breach
by
that other Party.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the
date
and year first above written.
DYADIC
INTERNATIONAL, INC.
By:
/s/
Xxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
Name: Xxxx
X. Xxxxxxxx
Title: President
|
DYADIC
INTERNATIONAL (USA), INC.
By:
/s/
Xxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
Name: Xxxx
X. Xxxxxxxx
Title: President
|
DYADIC
NEDERLAND, B.V.
By: /s/
Xxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
Name: Xxxx
X. Xxxxxxxx
Title: President
of Dyadic International Inc., acting as sole member of the managing
board
of Dyadic Nederland, B.V.
|
|
Nederlandse
Organisatie voor toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk onderzoek
TNO
By:
/s/
Xx. X.X. Xxxxxx-Xxxxxxxx
Name: Xx.
X.X. Xxxxxx-Xxxxxxxx
Title: Member
Board of Management
|
Nederlandse
Organisatie voor toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk onderzoek TNO
By:
/s/ Ir. X.X. Huis in’t Veld
Name: Ir.
X.X. Huis in’t Veld
Title: Chairman
Board of Management
|
TNO
BEDRIJVEN B.V.
By:
/s/ N. Xxxxxx
Name: N.
Xxxxxx
Title: Director
|