REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
THIS REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT, dated as of September 23, 1997 (this
"Agreement"), is made by and between TERA COMPUTER COMPANY, a Washington
corporation (the "Company"), and the person named on the signature page hereto
(the "Initial Investor").
W I T N E S S E T H:
WHEREAS, in connection with the Subscription Agreement, dated as of
September 23, 1997, between the Initial Investor and the Company (the
"Subscription Agreement"), the Company has agreed, upon the terms and subject to
the conditions of the Subscription Agreement, to issue and sell to the Initial
Investor an aggregate of 5,000 shares of Series C Convertible Preferred Stock
(the "Preferred Shares") of the Company as provided in the Subscription
Agreement, which Preferred Shares are convertible into shares (the "Conversion
Shares") of Common Stock, $.01 par value (the "Common Stock"), of the Company;
and
WHEREAS, to induce the Initial Investor to execute and deliver the
Subscription Agreement, the Company has agreed to provide certain registration
rights under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and
regulations thereunder, or any similar successor statute (collectively, the
"Securities Act"), and applicable state securities laws with respect to the
Conversion Shares;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual covenants
contained herein and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and
sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Company and the Initial
Investor hereby agree as follows:
1. Definitions.
(a) As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the
following meanings:
(i) "Excluded Period" means any period during which the Company
is entitled to suspend trading of the Common Stock by any Investor pursuant
to Section 4(f) pertaining to a "Negotiation Event" (as therein defined),
Section 5(f) or due to a transfer by the Investor contemplated by Section
10(g).
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(ii) "Investor" means the Initial Investor and any transferee or
assignee who agrees to become bound by the provisions of this Agreement in
accordance with Section 10 hereof.
(iii) "Register," "registered," and "registration" refer to a
registration effected by preparing and filing a Registration Statement or
Statements in compliance with the Securities Act and pursuant to Rule 415
under the Securities Act or any successor rule providing for offering
securities on a continuous basis ("Rule 415"), and the declaration or
ordering of effectiveness of such Registration Statement by the United
States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC").
(iv) "Registrable Securities" means the Conversion Shares and any
shares of Common Stock issued by the Company to any Investor as a dividend
on the Preferred Shares and as payment of any interest on accrued dividends
in arrears.
(v) "Registration Statement" means a registration statement of
the Company under the Securities Act, including any amendment thereto.
(b) Capitalized terms defined in the introductory paragraph or the
recitals to this Agreement shall have the respective meanings therein provided.
Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined herein shall have the
respective meanings set forth in the Subscription Agreement, or, if applicable,
in the Statement of Rights and Preferences of the Preferred Shares.
2. Mandatory Registration for Resale.
(a) The Company shall prepare and, on or prior to the date which is 15
days after the Closing Date, file with the SEC a Registration Statement on Form
S-3 covering the resale of at least 800,000 of the Registrable Securities, and
which Registration Statement shall state that, in accordance with Rule 416 under
the Securities Act, such Registration Statement also covers such indeterminate
number of additional shares of Common Stock as may become issuable upon
conversion of the Preferred Shares to prevent dilution resulting from stock
splits, stock dividends or similar transactions or by reason of changes in the
conversion price of the Preferred Shares in accordance with the terms thereof.
If at any time the number of shares of Common Stock included in the Registration
Statement required to be filed as provided in the first sentence of this Section
2(a) shall be insufficient to cover the number of shares of Common Stock
issuable on conversion in full of the unconverted Preferred Shares, then
promptly, but in no event later than 20 days after such insufficiency shall
occur, the Company shall file with the SEC an additional Registration Statement
on Form S-3 (which shall not constitute a post-effective amendment to the
Registration Statement filed pursuant to the first sentence of this Section
2(a)) covering such number of shares of Common Stock as shall be sufficient to
permit such conversion. For all
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purposes of this Agreement such additional Registration Statement shall be
deemed to be the Registration Statement required to be filed by the Company
pursuant to Section 2(a) of this Agreement, and the Company and the Investors
shall have the same rights and obligations with respect to such additional
Registration Statement as they shall have with respect to the initial
Registration Statement required to be filed by the Company pursuant to this
Section 2(a).
(b) If any offering pursuant to a Registration Statement under Section
2(a) hereof involves an underwritten offering, the Investors who hold a majority
in interest of the Registrable Securities subject to such underwritten offering
shall have the right to select legal counsel and an investment banker or bankers
and manager or managers to administer the offering, which investment banker(s)
or manager(s) shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Company. The Investors who
hold the Registrable Securities to be included in such underwritten offering
shall pay all underwriting discounts and selling commissions and other fees and
expenses of such investment banker(s) and manager(s) (other than registration
expenses payable by the Company pursuant to Section 6 hereof) with respect to
their Registrable Securities and the fees and disbursements of such legal
counsel selected by the Investors.
(c) If (i) the Company fails to file the Registration Statement with
the SEC within 15 days after the Closing Date, (ii) the Registration Statement
covering the Registrable Securities which is required to be filed by the Company
pursuant to the first sentence of Section 2(a) hereof is not effective within 90
days after the Closing Date, (iii) the Company fails to submit a request for
acceleration of the effective date of the Registration Statement in accordance
with Section 4(a), (iv) the Registration Statement required to be filed by the
Company pursuant to Section 2(a) shall cease to be available for use by any
holder of Preferred Shares which is named therein as a selling shareholder for
any reason (including, without limitation, by reason of an SEC stop order, a
material misstatement or omission in such Registration Statement or the
information contained in such Registration Statement having become outdated)
other than for an Excluded Period or for action caused by the selling
shareholder, including without limitation the attempt to sell securities other
than pursuant to the method of disposition described in the Registration
Statement, or (v) a holder of Preferred Shares has become unable to convert any
Preferred Shares in accordance with Section (7)(a) of the Statement of Rights
(other than by reason of the 4.9% limitation set forth therein), then the
Conversion Percentage (as defined in the Statement of Rights) shall be adjusted
as provided in the Statement of Rights.
(d) The Company, without the prior consent of the holders of a
majority in interest of the Preferred Shares, will not file another registration
statement with the SEC covering shares of the Company's Common Stock prior to
the effectiveness of the Registration Statement described in Section 2(a), other
than (i) Registration Statements on Forms S-4 or S-8, (ii) a Registration
Statement on Form S-3 covering the resale of not more
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than 400,000 shares of Common Stock sold to certain private investors in a
private offering completed on March 20, 1997, including shares of Common Stock
issuable upon exercise of warrants issued in such private offering, and (iii) a
Registration Statement on Form S-3 covering the resale of not more than
1,000,000 shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of certain warrants
issued in a private offering.
(e) The Company meets the requirements for the use of Form S-3 for
registration of the Registrable Securities for resale by the Investors. The
Company shall file all reports required to be filed by the Company with the SEC
in a timely manner so as to maintain such eligibility for the use of Form S-3.
3. Company Registration and Underwritten Offering.
(a) If at any time or from time to time the Company shall determine to
register any of its shares of Common Stock for its own account for offer and
sale in a firmly underwritten public offering, it shall (i) promptly give
written notice thereof to each Investor that owns of record any Registrable
Securities as of the date of such notice, and (ii) include in such registration
and underwritten offering all Registrable Securities requested to be so included
by any such Investor in a writing delivered to the Company within 20 days after
receipt of such written notice from the Company by the Investor, except as set
forth below.
(b) Investors proposing to distribute all or a portion of their
Registrable Securities through such underwritten offering shall (together with
the Company and any other shareholders distributing their securities through
such underwritten offering) enter into an underwriting agreement in usual and
customary form with the managing underwriter(s) selected for such underwritten
offering by the Company. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 3,
if the managing underwriter determines that marketing factors require a
limitation of the number of shares to be underwritten, the managing underwriter
in its sole discretion may limit the number of Registrable Securities to be
included in the registration, or may exclude Registrable Securities entirely
from such registration. In such case, the Company shall so advise all Investors
whose Registrable Securities otherwise would be included in such registration,
and the number of shares of Registrable Securities that may be included in such
registration and underwritten offering shall be allocated among the Investors
requesting registration in proportion, as nearly as practicable, to the
respective amounts of Registrable Securities held by each of such Investors at
the date of filing of the Registration Statement. If any Investor disapproves of
the terms and conditions of the underwritten offering, such Investor may
withdraw therefrom by written notice to the Company and the managing
underwriter(s). Any Registrable Securities excluded or withdrawn from such
underwritten offering shall be withdrawn from such registration.
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(c) Each Investor hereby agrees that, if requested by the Company and
the managing underwriter(s), it will enter into a customary form of "lock-up"
agreement with the Company and the managing underwriter(s) with respect to any
Registrable Securities then held by such Investor (other than those included in
the registration and underwritten offering described in this Section 3), which
agreement shall contain such terms and conditions no more restrictive on the
Investor's ability to sell or otherwise transfer such Registrable Securities
than those contained in any other such agreements then entered into by the
Company and the managing underwriter(s) with other holders of the Company's
Common Stock.
(d) Promptly following the expiration or termination of any such
lock-up agreement, the Company will take all reasonable steps, including filing
a Registration Statement in accordance with Section 2(a) hereof (or, in
accordance with Section 4(a) hereof, a post-effective amendment or supplement to
any Registration Statement and prospectus contained therein that previously was
filed in accordance with Section 2(a)), to enable Investors to sell their
remaining Registrable Securities free from restrictions under applicable
securities laws.
(e) The Company shall have the right to terminate or withdraw any
registration initiated by the Company under this Section 3 prior to the
effectiveness of such registration whether or not any Investor has elected to
include Registrable Securities in such registration.
4. Obligations of the Company. In connection with the registration of the
Registrable Securities pursuant to Sections 2 and 3 hereof, as applicable, the
Company shall:
(a) prepare promptly, and file with the SEC not later than 15 days
after the Closing Date, a Registration Statement with respect to the number of
Registrable Securities provided in Section 2(a), and thereafter use its best
efforts to cause each Registration Statement relating to Registrable Securities
to become effective as soon as possible after such filing, and keep the
Registration Statement effective pursuant to Rule 415 at all times until the
earliest of (i) such date as is three years after the Closing Date, (ii) the
date, on or after two years after the Closing Date, on which all of Registrable
Securities may be sold without regard to any requirement under the Securities
Act with respect to volume or manner of sale or the filing of any notice
relating thereto, and (iii) the date on which the Investors no longer
beneficially own any Registrable Securities (the period until such date, the
"Registration Period"); submit to the SEC, within five business days after the
Company learns that no review of the Registration Statement will be made by the
staff of the SEC or that the staff of the SEC has no further comments on the
Registration Statement, as the case may be, a request for acceleration of
effectiveness of the Registration Statement to a time and date not later than 48
hours after the delivery of such request; and the Company represents and
warrants to, and covenants and agrees with, the Investors that the Registration
Statement
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(including any amendments or supplements thereto and prospectuses contained
therein), at the time it is first filed with the SEC, at the time it is ordered
effective by the SEC and at all times during which it is required to be
effective hereunder (and each such amendment and supplement at the time it is
filed with the SEC and at all time during which it is available for use in
connection with the offer and sale of the Registrable Securities) shall not
contain any 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
light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading;
(b) prepare and file with the SEC such amendments (including
post-effective amendments) and supplements to the Registration Statement and the
prospectus used in connection therewith as may be necessary to keep such
Registration Statement effective at all times during the Registration Period,
and, during the Registration Period, comply with the provisions of the
Securities Act with respect to the disposition of all Registrable Securities
covered by the Registration Statement until such time as all of such Registrable
Securities have been disposed of in accordance with the intended methods of
disposition by the seller or sellers thereof as set forth in the Registration
Statement;
(c) furnish to each Investor whose Registrable Securities are included
in the Registration Statement and its legal counsel, (i) promptly after the same
is prepared and publicly distributed, filed with the SEC or received by the
Company, one copy of the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto, each
preliminary prospectus and prospectus and each amendment or supplement thereto,
each letter written by or on behalf of the Company to the SEC or the staff of
the SEC and each item of written correspondence from the SEC or the staff of the
SEC relating to such Registration Statement (other than any portion of any
thereof that contains information for which the Company has sought confidential
treatment) and (ii) such number of copies of a prospectus, including a
preliminary prospectus, and all amendments and supplements thereto and such
other documents, as such Investor may reasonably request in order to facilitate
the disposition of the Registrable Securities owned by such Investor;
(d) use reasonable efforts to (i) register and qualify the Registrable
Securities covered by the Registration Statement under such securities or blue
sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Investors who hold a majority in interest
of the Registrable Securities being offered reasonably request, (ii) prepare and
file in those jurisdictions such amendments (including post-effective
amendments) and supplements to such registrations and qualifications as may be
necessary to maintain the effectiveness thereof at all times during the
Registration Period, (iii) take such other actions as may be necessary to
maintain such registrations and qualifications in effect at all times during the
Registration Period and (iv) take all other actions reasonably necessary or
advisable to qualify the Registrable Securities for sale in such jurisdictions;
provided, however, that the Company shall not be required in connection
therewith or as a condition thereto (I) to qualify to do business in any
jurisdiction
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where it would not otherwise be required to qualify but for this Section 4(d),
(II) to subject itself to general taxation in any such jurisdiction, (III) to
file a general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction, (IV) to
provide any undertakings that cause more than nominal expense or burden to the
Company or (V) to make any change in its articles or by-laws, which in each case
the Board of Directors of the Company determines to be contrary to the best
interests of the Company and its shareholders;
(e) in the event that the Registrable Securities are being offered in
an underwritten offering, enter into and perform its obligations under an
underwriting agreement, in usual and customary form, including, without
limitation, customary indemnification and contribution obligations, with the
underwriters of such offering;
(f) as promptly as practicable after becoming aware of such event or
circumstance, notify each Investor of any event or circumstance of which the
Company has knowledge, as a result of which the prospectus included in the
Registration Statement, as then in effect, includes an untrue statement of a
material fact or omits to state a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under
which they were made, not misleading, and use its best efforts promptly to
prepare a supplement or amendment to the Registration Statement to correct such
untrue statement or omission, and deliver a number of copies of such supplement
or amendment to each Investor as such Investor may reasonably request. If such
event is the conduct of negotiations with respect to a transaction, the
disclosure of which the Company reasonably concludes would be detrimental to the
Company (each, a "Negotiation Event"), the Company shall be entitled, upon
giving notice of a Negotiation Event to each holder (the "Negotiation Notice")
and upon the reasonable determination of the Company, after consulting with
counsel, that failure to disclose the Negotiation Event would constitute an
omission to state a material fact required to be stated in the Registration
Statement, to require the Investors to suspend sales of the Common Stock
pursuant to the Registration Statement for a period of up to fifteen (15) days
after the giving of the Negotiation Notice; provided, however, that the Company
shall not give more than one (1) Negotiation Notice in any twelve-month period;
(g) as promptly as practicable after becoming aware of such event,
notify each Investor who holds Registrable Securities being sold (or, in the
event of an underwritten offering, the managing underwriters) of the issuance by
the SEC of any stop order or other suspension of effectiveness of the
Registration Statement at the earliest possible time;
(h) permit a single firm of counsel designated as selling
shareholders' counsel by the Investors who hold a majority in interest of the
Registrable Securities being sold to review and comment on the Registration
Statement and all amendments and supplements thereto a reasonable period of time
prior to their filing with the SEC, provided, that to the extent that the
failure of such counsel to respond promptly hereunder results in a delay in the
filing of the registration statement beyond the 15 day period specified in
Section
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2(c)(i) or results in the delay in the effective date thereof beyond the 90 day
period specified in Section 2(c)(ii), the 15 day period and the 90 day period
shall be extended by the amount of such resulting delay;
(i) make generally available to its security holders as soon as
practical, but not later than 90 days after the close of the period covered
thereby, an earnings statement (in form complying with the provisions of Rule
158 under the Securities Act) covering a twelve-month period beginning not later
than the first day of the Company's fiscal quarter next following the effective
date of the Registration Statement;
(j) at the request of the Investors who hold a majority in interest of
the Registrable Securities being sold, furnish on the date that Registrable
Securities are delivered to an underwriter, if any, for sale in connection with
the Registration Statement (i) a letter, dated such date, from the Company's
independent certified public accountants in form and substance as is customarily
given by independent certified public accountants to underwriters in
underwritten public offerings, addressed to the underwriters; and (ii) an
opinion, dated such date, from counsel representing the Company for purposes of
such Registration Statement, in form and substance as is customarily given in
underwritten public offerings, addressed to the underwriters and the Investors;
(k) make available for inspection by any Investor, any underwriter
participating in any disposition pursuant to the Registration Statement and a
single firm of counsel and a single firm of accountants or other agents retained
by any such Investor and one firm of attorneys retained by all such underwriters
(collectively, the "Inspectors"), all pertinent financial and other records,
pertinent corporate documents and properties of the Company (collectively, the
"Records"), as shall be reasonably necessary to enable each Inspector to
exercise its due diligence responsibility, and cause the Company's officers,
directors and employees to supply all information that any Inspector reasonably
may request for purposes of such due diligence; provided, however, that each
Inspector shall hold in confidence and shall not make any disclosure (except to
an Investor) of any Record or other information which the Company determines in
good faith to be confidential, and of which determination the Inspectors are so
notified, unless (i) the disclosure of such Records is necessary to avoid or
correct a misstatement or omission in any Registration Statement, (ii) the
release of such Records is ordered pursuant to a subpoena or other order from a
court or government body of competent jurisdiction or (iii) the information in
such Records has been made generally available to the public other than by
disclosure in violation of this or any other agreement. The Company shall not be
required to disclose any confidential information in such Records to any
Inspector until and unless such Inspector shall have entered into
confidentiality agreements (in form and substance satisfactory to the Company)
with the Company with respect thereto, substantially in the form of this Section
4(k). Each Investor agrees that it shall, upon learning that disclosure of such
Records is sought in or by a court or governmental body of competent
jurisdiction or through other means, give prompt
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notice to the Company and allow the Company, at the Company's own expense, to
undertake appropriate action to prevent disclosure of, or to obtain a protective
order for, the Records deemed confidential. The Company shall hold in confidence
and shall not make any disclosure of information concerning an Investor provided
to the Company pursuant to Sections 5(a) and 5(e) hereof unless (i) disclosure
of such information is necessary to comply with federal or state securities
laws, (ii) the disclosure of such information is necessary to avoid or correct a
misstatement or omission in any Registration Statement, (iii) the release of
such information is ordered pursuant to a subpoena or other order from a court
or governmental body of competent jurisdiction or (iv) such information has been
made generally available to the public other than by disclosure in violation of
this or any other agreement. The Company agrees that it shall, upon learning
that disclosure of such information concerning an Investor is sought in or by a
court or governmental body of competent jurisdiction or through other means,
give prompt notice to such Investor, at such Investor's own expense, to
undertake appropriate action to prevent disclosure of, or to obtain a protective
order for, such information;
(l) use its best efforts (i) to cause all the Registrable Securities
covered by the Registration Statement to be listed on the Nasdaq SmallCap Market
or the Nasdaq National Market (collectively, the "Nasdaq") or such other
principal securities market on which securities of the same class or series
issued by the Company are then listed or traded or (ii) if securities of the
same class or series as the Registrable Securities are not then listed on Nasdaq
or any such other securities market, to cause all of the Registrable Securities
covered by the Registration Statement to be listed on the New York Stock
Exchange or the American Stock Exchange;
(m) provide a transfer agent and registrar, which may be a single
entity, for the Registrable Securities not later than the effective date of the
Registration Statement;
(n) cooperate with the Investors who hold Registrable Securities being
offered and the managing underwriter(s), if any, to facilitate the timely
preparation and delivery of certificates (not bearing any restrictive legends)
representing Registrable Securities to be offered pursuant to the Registration
Statement and enable such certificates to be in such denominations or amounts as
the case may be, as the managing underwriter(s), if any, or the Investors may
reasonably request and registered in such names as the managing underwriter(s),
if any, or the Investors may request; and, within three business days after a
Registration Statement which includes Registrable Securities is ordered
effective by the SEC, the Company shall deliver, and shall cause legal counsel
selected by the Company to deliver, to the transfer agent for the Registrable
Securities (with copies to the Investors whose Registrable Securities are
included in such Registration Statement) an instruction substantially in the
form attached hereto as Exhibit 1 and an opinion of such counsel, if required by
the Company's transfer agent, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 2;
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(o) during the Registration Period the Company shall not bid for or
purchase any Common Stock or any right to purchase Common Stock or attempt to
induce any person to purchase any such security or right if such bid, purchase
or attempt would in any way limit the right of the Investors to sell Registrable
Securities by reason of the limitations in Regulation M under the Exchange Act;
and
(p) take all other reasonable actions necessary to expedite and
facilitate disposition by the Investors of the Registrable Securities pursuant
to the Registration Statement.
5. Obligations of the Investors. In connection with the registration of the
Registrable Securities, the Investors shall have the following obligations:
(a) It shall be a condition precedent to the obligations of the
Company to complete the registration pursuant to this Agreement with respect to
the Registrable Securities of a particular Investor that such Investor shall
furnish to the Company such information regarding itself, the Registrable
Securities held by it and the intended method of disposition of the Registrable
Securities held by it as shall be reasonably required to effect the registration
of such Registrable Securities and shall execute such documents in connection
with such registration as the Company may reasonably request. At least four days
prior to the first anticipated filing date of the Registration Statement, the
Company shall notify each Investor of the information the Company requires from
each such Investor (the "Requested Information") if any of such Investor's
Registrable Securities are eligible for inclusion in the Registration Statement.
If at least one business day prior to the filing date the Company has not
received the Requested Information from an Investor (a "Non-Responsive
Investor"), then the Company may file the Registration Statement without
including Registrable Securities of such Non-Responsive Investor;
(b) Each Investor by such Investor's acceptance of the Registrable
Securities agrees to cooperate with the Company as reasonably requested thereby
in connection with the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement
hereunder, unless such Investor has notified the Company in writing of such
Investor's election to exclude all of such Investor's Registrable Securities
from the Registration Statement;
(c) In the event Investors holding a majority in interest of the
Registrable Securities being registered determine to engage the services of an
underwriter, or if an Investor seeks to participate in a registration and
underwritten offering pursuant to Section 3 hereof, each Investor or each such
participating Investor, as the case may be, agrees to enter into and perform
such Investor's obligations under an underwriting agreement, in usual and
customary form, including, without limitation, customary indemnification and
contribution obligations, with the managing underwriter(s) of such offering and
take such other actions as are reasonably required in order to expedite or
facilitate the disposition of the Registrable
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Securities, unless such Investor has notified the Company in writing of such
Investor's election to exclude all or a portion of such Investor's Registrable
Securities from the Registration Statement;
(d) Each Investor agrees that, upon receipt of any notice from the
Company of the happening of any event of the kind described in Section 4(f) or
4(g), such Investor will immediately discontinue disposition of Registrable
Securities pursuant to the Registration Statement covering such Registrable
Securities until such Investor's receipt of the copies of the supplemented or
amended prospectus contemplated by Section 4(f) or 4(g) and, if so directed by
the Company, such Investor shall deliver to the Company (at the expense of the
Company) or destroy (and deliver to the Company a certificate of destruction)
all copies in such Investor's possession, of the prospectus covering such
Registrable Securities current at the time of receipt of such notice;
(e) No Investor may participate in any registration relating to an
underwritten offering hereunder unless such Investor (i) agrees to sell such
Investor's Registrable Securities on the basis provided in any underwriting
arrangements approved by the Investors entitled hereunder to approve such
arrangements, with respect to an underwritten offering under Section 2 hereof,
or approved by the Company, with respect to an underwritten offering under
Section 3 hereof; (ii) completes and executes all questionnaires, powers of
attorney, indemnities, underwriting agreements and other documents reasonably
required under the terms of such underwriting arrangements; and (iii) agrees to
pay its pro rata share of all underwriting discounts and selling commissions
(and, with respect to an underwritten offering pursuant to Section 2(b) hereof,
any other fees and expenses) of any investment banker(s) and manager(s) with
respect to its Registrable Securities sold in such offering and of the fees and
expenses of counsel selected by the Investors.
(f) Each Investor agrees that during the period from the date the
Registration Statement is first declared effective by the SEC to the date of
conversion in full or redemption of all Preferred Shares owned by the Investor,
the Investor shall not engage in short sales or other hedging transactions
relating to the Common Stock, except that the Investor may enter into such
transactions involving a number of shares of Common Stock not to exceed the
number of shares for which a Conversion Notice has been submitted to the
Transfer Agent and the Company.
(g) Each Investor agrees that it will not effect any disposition of
the Registrable Securities except as contemplated in the Registration Statement
or as is otherwise in compliance with applicable securities laws and that it
will promptly notify the Company of any material change in the information set
forth in the Registration Statement regarding such Investor's plan of
distribution. Each Investor agrees (a) to notify the Company in writing in the
event that such Investor enters into any material agreement with a broker or a
dealer for
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the sale of the Registrable Securities through a block trade, special offering
or exchange distribution and (b) in connection with such agreement, to provide
to the Company in writing the information necessary to enable the Company to
prepare, at the Company's sole cost and expense, any supplemental prospectus
pursuant to Rule 424(c) under the Securities Act which is required with respect
to such transaction. In connection with any sale of Registrable Securities which
is made pursuant to the Registration Statement, each Investor shall instruct its
broker or brokers to deliver the prospectus to the purchaser or purchasers in
connection with such sale, shall supply copies of such prospectus to such broker
or brokers and shall otherwise use its reasonable best efforts to comply with
the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act.
6. Expenses of Registration. All reasonable expenses incurred in effecting
any registration pursuant to this Agreement, including, without limitation, all
registration, listing, qualification, and filing fees, printing and accounting
expenses, fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company, shall be borne by
the Company (except as otherwise may be required under applicable state
securities or blue sky laws); provided, however, that the Investors shall pay
all (i) underwriting discounts and selling commissions (and, with respect to an
underwritten offering pursuant to Section 2(b) hereof, any other fees and
expenses) of any investment banker(s) and manager(s) applicable to the sale of
Registrable Securities in an underwritten offering and (ii) fees and
disbursements of counsel to the Investors, in accordance with Sections 2(b) and
5(e) hereof.
7. Indemnification. In the event any Registrable Securities are included in
a Registration Statement under this Agreement:
(a) To the extent permitted by law, the Company will indemnify and
hold harmless each Investor who holds such Registrable Securities, the
directors, if any, of such Investor, the officers, if any, of such Investor,
each person, if any, who controls any Investor within the meaning of the
Securities Act or the Exchange Act, any underwriter (as defined in the
Securities Act) for the Investors, the directors, if any, of such underwriter
and the officers, if any, of such underwriter, and each person, if any, who
controls any such underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act or the
Exchange Act (each, an "Indemnified Person"), against any losses, claims,
damages, liabilities or expenses (joint or several) incurred (collectively,
"Claims") to which any of them may become subject under the Securities Act, the
Exchange Act or otherwise, insofar as such Claims (or actions or proceedings,
whether commenced or threatened, in respect thereof) arise out of or are based
upon any of the following statements, omissions or violations in the
Registration Statement, or any post-effective amendment thereof, or any
prospectus included therein: (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue
statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any
post-effective amendment thereof or 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, (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue
statement of a material fact
-12-
contained in any preliminary prospectus if used prior to the effective date of
such Registration Statement, or contained in the final prospectus (as amended or
supplemented, if the Company files any amendment thereof or supplement thereto
with the SEC) or the omission or alleged omission to state therein any material
fact necessary to make the statements made therein, in light of the
circumstances under which the statements therein were made, not misleading or
(iii) any violation or alleged violation by the Company of the Securities Act,
the Exchange Act, any state securities law or any rule or regulation under the
Securities Act, the Exchange Act or any state securities law (the matters in the
foregoing clauses (i) through (iii) being, collectively, "Violations"). Subject
to the restrictions set forth in Section 7(d) with respect to the number of
legal counsel, the Company shall reimburse the Investors and each such
underwriter or controlling person, promptly as such expenses are incurred and
are due and payable, for any legal fees or other reasonable expenses incurred by
them in connection with investigating or defending any such Claim.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the indemnification
agreement contained in this Section 7(a): (I) shall not apply to a Claim arising
out of or based upon a Violation which occurs in reliance upon and in conformity
with information furnished in writing to the Company by any Indemnified Person
or underwriter for such Indemnified Person expressly for use in connection with
the preparation of the Registration Statement or any such amendment thereof or
supplement thereto, if such prospectus was timely made available by the Company
pursuant to Section 4(c) hereof; (II) with respect to any preliminary prospectus
shall not inure to the benefit of any such person from whom the person asserting
any such Claim purchased the Registrable Securities that are the subject thereof
(or to the benefit of any person controlling such person) if the untrue
statement or omission of material fact contained in the preliminary prospectus
was corrected in the prospectus, as then amended or supplemented, if such
prospectus was timely made available by the Company pursuant to Section 4(c)
hereof; and (III) shall not apply to amounts paid in settlement of any Claim if
such settlement is effected without the prior written consent of the Company,
which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. Such indemnity shall remain in
full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of
the Indemnified Person and shall survive the transfer of the Registrable
Securities by the Investors pursuant to Section 10.
(b) In connection with any Registration Statement in which an Investor
is participating, each such Investor agrees to indemnify and hold harmless, to
the same extent and in the same manner set forth in Section 7(a), the Company,
each of its directors, each of its officers who signs the Registration
Statement, each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of
the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, any underwriter and any other
shareholder selling securities pursuant to the Registration Statement or any of
its directors or officers or any person who controls such shareholder or
underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act
(collectively and together with an Indemnified Person, an "Indemnified Party"),
against any Claim to which any of them may become subject, under the Securities
Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise, insofar as such Claim arises out of or is
based upon any Violation, in each case to the extent (and only to
-13-
the extent) that such Violation occurs in reliance upon and in conformity with
written information furnished to the Company by such Investor expressly for use
in connection with such Registration Statement; and such Investor will reimburse
any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with
investigating or defending any such Claim; provided, however, that the indemnity
agreement contained in this Section 7(b) shall not apply to amounts paid in
settlement of any Claim if such settlement is effected without the prior written
consent of such Investor, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld;
provided, further, however, that the Investor shall be liable under this Section
7(b) for only that amount of a Claim as does not exceed the amount by which the
net proceeds to such Investor from the sale of Registrable Securities pursuant
to such Registration Statement exceeds the cost of such Registrable Securities
to such Investor. Such indemnity shall remain in full force and effect
regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of such Indemnified Party
and shall survive the transfer of the Registrable Securities by the Investors
pursuant to Section 10. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained
herein, the indemnification agreement contained in this Section 7(b) with
respect to any preliminary prospectus shall not inure to the benefit of any
Indemnified Party if the untrue statement or omission of material fact contained
in the preliminary prospectus was corrected on a timely basis in the prospectus,
as then amended or supplemented.
(c) The Company shall be entitled to receive indemnities from
underwriters, selling brokers, dealer managers and similar securities industry
professionals participating in any distribution, to the same extent as provided
above, with respect to information so furnished in writing by such persons
expressly for inclusion in the Registration Statement.
(d) Promptly after receipt by an Indemnified Person or Indemnified
Party under this Section 7 of notice of the commencement of any action
(including any governmental action), such Indemnified Person or Indemnified
Party shall, if a Claim in respect thereof is to be made against any
indemnifying party under this Section 7, deliver to the indemnifying party a
written notice of the commencement thereof and the indemnifying party shall have
the right to participate in, and, to the extent the indemnifying party so
desires, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly noticed, to assume
control of the defense thereof with counsel selected by the indemnifying party
but reasonably acceptable to the Indemnified Person or the Indemnified Party, as
the case may be; provided, however, that an Indemnified Person or Indemnified
Party shall have the right to retain its own counsel with the fees and expenses
to be paid by the indemnifying party, if, in the reasonable opinion of counsel
retained by the indemnifying party, the representation by such counsel of the
Indemnified Person or Indemnified Party and the indemnifying party would be
inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between such
Indemnified Person or Indemnified Party and any other party represented by such
counsel in such proceeding. In such event, the Company shall pay for only one
separate legal counsel for the Investors; such legal counsel shall be selected
by the Investors holding a majority in interest of the Registrable
-14-
Securities included in the Registration Statement to which the Claim relates.
The failure to deliver written notice to the indemnifying party within a
reasonable time of the commencement of any such action shall not relieve such
indemnifying party of any liability to the Indemnified Person or Indemnified
Party under this Section 7, except to the extent that the indemnifying party is
prejudiced in its ability to defend such action. The indemnification required by
this Section 7 shall be made by periodic payments of the amount thereof during
the course of the investigation or defense, as such expense, loss, damage or
liability is incurred and is due and payable.
8. Contribution. To the extent any indemnification by an indemnifying party
is prohibited or limited by law, the indemnifying party agrees to make the
maximum contribution with respect to any amounts for which it would otherwise be
liable under Section 7 to the fullest extent permitted by law; provided,
however, that (a) no contribution shall be made under circumstances where the
maker would not have been liable for indemnification under the fault standards
set forth in Section 7, (b) no seller of Registrable Securities guilty of
fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 12(f) of the
Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any seller of Registrable
Securities who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation and (c)
contribution by any seller of Registrable Securities shall be limited in amount
to the amount by which the net amount of proceeds received by such seller from
the sale of such Registrable Securities exceeds the purchase price paid by such
seller for such Registrable Securities.
9. Reports under Exchange Act. With a view to making available to the
Investors the benefits of Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act or any
other similar rule or regulation of the SEC that may at any time permit the
Investors to sell securities of the Company to the public without registration
("Rule 144"), the Company agrees to:
(a) make and keep public information available, as those terms are
understood and defined in Rule 144;
(b) file with the SEC in a timely manner all reports and other
documents required of the Company under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act;
and
(c) furnish to each Investor so long as such Investor owns Registrable
Securities, promptly upon request, (i) a written statement by the Company that
it has complied with the reporting requirements of Rule 144, the Securities Act
and the Exchange Act, (ii) a copy of the most recent annual or quarterly report
of the Company and such other reports and documents so filed by the Company and
(iii) such other information as may be reasonably requested to permit the
Investors to sell such securities pursuant to Rule 144 without registration.
-15-
10. Assignment of the Registration Rights. The rights to have the Company
register Registrable Securities pursuant to this Agreement shall be
automatically assigned by the Investors to any transferee who holds at least
1,000 Preferred Shares, or Registrable Securities acquired upon conversion of at
least 1,000 Preferred Shares (or any equivalent combination of Preferred Shares
and Registrable Securities) only if: (a) the Investor agrees in writing with the
transferee or assignee to assign such rights, and a copy of such agreement is
furnished to the Company within a reasonable time after such assignment; (b) the
Company is, within a reasonable time after such transfer or assignment,
furnished with written notice of (i) the name and address of such transferee or
assignee and (ii) the securities with respect to which such registration rights
are being transferred or assigned; (c) immediately following such transfer or
assignment the further disposition of such securities by the transferee or
assignee is restricted under the Securities Act and applicable state securities
laws; (d) at or before the time the Company received the written notice
contemplated by clause (b) of this sentence the transferee or assignee agrees in
writing with the Company to be bound by all of the provisions contained herein;
(e) such transfer shall have been made in accordance with the applicable
requirements of the Subscription Agreement; (f) such transferee shall be an
"Accredited Investor" as that term defined in Rule 501 of Regulation D
promulgated under the Securities Act but shall not be a broker-dealer or a
member of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.; and (g) in the
event the assignment occurs subsequent to the date of effectiveness of the
Registration Statement required to be filed pursuant to Section 2(a), the
transferee agrees to pay all reasonable expenses of amending or supplementing
such Registration Statement to reflect such assignment. In connection with any
such transfer the Company shall promptly after such assignment take such actions
as shall be reasonably acceptable to the Initial Investor and such transferee to
assure that the Registration Statement and related prospectus are available for
use by such transferee for sales of the Registrable Securities in respect of
which the rights to registration have been so assigned.
11. Amendment of Registration Rights. Any provision of this Agreement may
be amended and the observance thereof may be waived (either generally or in a
particular instance and either retroactively or prospectively), only with the
written consent of the Company and Investors who hold a majority in interest of
the Registrable Securities. Any amendment or waiver effected in accordance with
this Section 11 shall be binding upon each Investor and the Company.
-16-
12. Miscellaneous.
(a) A person or entity is deemed to be a holder of Registrable
Securities whenever such person or entity owns of record such Registrable
Securities. If the Company receives conflicting instructions, notices or
elections from two or more persons or entities with respect to the same
Registrable Securities, the Company shall act upon the basis of instructions,
notice or election received from the registered owner of such Registrable
Securities.
(b) Notices required or permitted to be given hereunder shall be in
writing and shall be deemed to be sufficiently given when personally delivered
(by hand, by courier, by facsimile or other means) or sent by certified mail,
return receipt requested, properly addressed and with proper postage pre-paid
(i) if to the Company, at Tera Computer Company, 0000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxx,
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx 00000, Attention: Chief Executive Officer, facsimile No.
(000) 000-0000, with a copy to Stoel Rives LLP, Xxx Xxxxx Xxxxxx, 00xx Xxxxx,
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx 00000, Attention: L. Xxxx Xxxxxxxxx, Jr., facsimile no.
(000) 000-0000, (ii) if to the Initial Investor, x/x Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxx,
Xxx., 00000 X.X. 0xx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000, Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx 00000-0000,
facsimile No. (000) 000-0000 and (iii) if to any other Investor, at such address
as such Investor shall have provided in writing to the Company, or at such other
address as each such party furnishes by notice given in accordance with this
Section 12(b), and shall be effective, when personally delivered, upon receipt
and, when so sent by certified mail, four days after deposit with the United
States Postal Service.
(c) Failure of any party to exercise any right or remedy under this
Agreement or otherwise, or delay by a party in exercising such right or remedy,
shall not operate as a waiver thereof.
(d) This Agreement shall be enforced, governed by and construed in
accordance with the laws of the State of Washington applicable to agreements
made and to be performed entirely within such State. In the event that any
provision of this Agreement is invalid or unenforceable under any applicable
statute or rule of law, then such provision shall be deemed inoperative to the
extent that it may conflict therewith and shall be deemed modified to conform
with such statute or rule of law. Any provision hereof which may prove invalid
or unenforceable under any law shall not affect the validity or enforceability
of any other provision hereof.
(e) This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement among the parties
hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof. There are no restrictions,
promises, warranties or undertakings, other than those set forth or referred to
herein. This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings among
the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof.
-17-
(f) Subject to the requirements of Section 10 hereof, this Agreement
shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the successors and assigns of
each of the parties hereto.
(g) All pronouns and any variations thereof refer to the masculine,
feminine or neuter, singular or plural, as the context may require.
(h) The headings in this Agreement are for convenience of reference
only and shall not limit or otherwise affect the meaning hereof.
(i) The Company acknowledges that any failure by the Company to
perform its obligations under this Agreement, including, without limitation, the
Company's obligations under Section 4(n), or any delay in such performance could
result in damages to the Investors and the Company agrees that, in addition to
any other liability the Company may have by reason of any such failure or delay,
the Company shall be liable for all direct and consequential damages caused by
any such failure or delay; provided, however, that in no event shall the total
damages recoverable by the Investors for claims arising from or related to this
Agreement exceed 150% of the aggregate purchase price paid by the Initial
Investor to the Company for the Preferred Shares, less all amounts received by
the Investors from market resales of shares of Common Stock as contemplated by
this Agreement.
(j) This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each
of which shall be deemed an original but all of which shall constitute one and
the same agreement. This Agreement, once executed by a party, may be delivered
to the other party hereto by facsimile of a copy of this Agreement bearing the
signature of the party so delivering this Agreement.
-18-
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Agreement to be duly
executed by their respective officers thereunto duly authorized as of day and
year first above written.
TERA COMPUTER COMPANY
By: /s/ XXXXX X. XXXXXXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
Title: President and Chief Executive
Officer
ADVANTAGE FUND LIMITED
By: /s/ X.X. XX XXXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: X.X. xx Xxxxx
Title: President
-19-
EXHIBIT 1
to
Registration
Rights Agreement
[Company Letterhead]
[Date]
ChaseMellon Shareholder Services, L.L.C.
as Transfer Agent and Registrar
000 Xxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000
Xxxxxxx, XX 00000
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This letter shall serve as our irrevocable authorization and direction to
you [(1) to transfer or re-register the certificates for the shares of Common
Stock, $.01 par value (the "Common Stock"), of Tera Computer Company, a
Washington corporation (the "Company"), represented by certificate numbers
_______ and _______ for an aggregate of _______ shares (the "Outstanding
Shares") of Common Stock presently registered in the name of [Name of Investor]
upon surrender of such certificate(s) to you, notwithstanding the legend
appearing on such certificates, and (2) ][1] to issue shares (the "Conversion
Shares") of Common Stock to or upon the order of the holder from time to time on
conversion of the shares (the "Preferred Shares") of Series C Convertible
Preferred Stock, $.01 par value, of the Company, issued by the Company upon
receipt by you of a Notice of Conversion from such holder in the form enclosed
herewith. [The transfer or re-registration of the certificates for the
Outstanding Shares by you should be made at such time as you are requested to do
so by the record holder of the Outstanding Shares. The certificate issued upon
such transfer or re-registration should be registered in such name as requested
by the holder of record of the certificate surrendered to you and should not
bear any legend which would restrict the transfer of the shares represented
thereby. In addition, you are hereby directed to remove any stop-transfer
instruction relating to the Outstanding Shares.] Certificates for the Conversion
Shares should not bear any restrictive legend and should not be subject to any
stop-transfer restriction.
Contemporaneously with the delivery of this letter, the Company is
delivering to you an opinion of Stoel Rives LLP as to registration of [the
Outstanding Shares and]* the Conversion Shares under the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended.
--------
[1] Omit if no conversions of Preferred Stock have occurred before SEC
registration is declared effective.
Should you have any questions concerning this matter, please contact me.
Very truly yours,
TERA COMPUTER COMPANY
By:
-----------------------------------------
Name:
Title:
Enclosures
cc: [Name of Investor]
EXHIBIT 2
to
Registration
Rights Agreement
[Date]
TERA COMPUTER COMPANY
Shares of Common Stock
ChaseMellon Shareholder Services, L.L.C.
as Transfer Agent and Registrar
000 Xxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000
Xxxxxxx, XX 00000
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We are counsel to Tera Computer Company, a Washington corporation (the
"Company"), and we understand that [Name of Investor] (the "Holder") has
purchased from the Company an aggregate of ____________ shares (the "Preferred
Shares") of the Company's Series C Convertible Preferred Stock, $.01 par value
(the "Preferred Stock"). The Preferred Shares were purchased by the Holder
pursuant to a Subscription Agreement, dated as of September 23, 1997, between
the Holder and the Company (the "Subscription Agreement"). Pursuant to a
Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of September 23, 1997, between the
Company and the Holder (the "Registration Rights Agreement") entered into in
connection with the purchase by the Holder of the Preferred Shares, the Company
agreed with the Holder, among other things, to register for resale the shares of
Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Preferred Shares (the "Conversion
Shares") under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"),
upon the terms provided in the Registration Rights Agreement. Pursuant to the
Registration Rights Agreement, on __________, the Company filed a Registration
Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-__________) (the "Registration Statement")
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") relating to the
Conversion Shares, which names the Holder as a selling shareholder thereunder.
We advise you that, on ________, 1997, a registration statement under the
Securities Act of 1993 became effective with respect to the resale of the shares
of Common Stock underlying the shares of Preferred Stock held by the Holder.
Therefore, we are of the opinion that, with respect to the issuance of shares of
Common Stock pursuant to the procedures described in the Company's letter of
September 23, 1997, to you, the certificates evidencing the underlying shares of
Common Stock need not bear the Securities Act restrictive legend described in
such letter and may be issued without such legend.
Very truly yours,
cc: [Name of Investor]
