Exhibit 10.2
REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT dated as of June 9, 2000 (this
"Agreement"), between SYMPOSIUM CORPORATION, a Delaware corporation, with
principal executive offices located at 410 Park Avenue, Suite 830, New York, New
York 10022 (the "Company"), and the undersigned (the "Investor").
W I T N E S S E T H :
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WHEREAS, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the
Securities Purchase Agreement dated as of the date hereof, between the Investor
and the Company (the "Securities Purchase Agreement"), the Company has agreed to
issue and sell to the Investor on the date hereof, (i) 30,375 shares of the
Company's Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $.001 per share (the
"Initially Issued Preferred Shares"), which, upon the terms of and subject to
the conditions of the Company's Certificate of Designation relating to the
Preferred Shares (the "Certificate of Designation"), are convertible into shares
of the Company's common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the "Common Stock"),
and (ii) 225,000 Common Stock Purchase Warrants (the "Initially Issued
Warrants") to purchase shares of Common Stock;
WHEREAS, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the
Securities Purchase Agreement the Company has granted the Investor an option
(the "Option") to purchase, (i) an additional 20,250 Preferred Shares (the
"Subsequently Issued Preferred Shares", and together with the Initially Issued
Preferred Shares, the "Preferred Shares") which, upon the terms of and subject
to the conditions of the Company's Certificate of Designation, are convertible
into Common Stock, and (ii) and additional 150,000 Common Stock Purchase
Warrants (the "Subsequently Issued Warrants", and together with th Initially
Issued Warrants, the "Warrants") to purchase shares of Common Stock; and
WHEREAS, to induce the Investor to execute and deliver the
Securities Purchase Agreement, the Company has agreed to provide the Investor
with certain registration rights under the Securities Act with respect to the
Common Stock (i) issued or issuable in lieu of cash dividend payments on the
Preferred Shares, (ii) upon conversion of the Preferred Shares, and (iii)
exercise of the Warrants;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the
mutual covenants contained herein, the parties hereto, intending to be legally
bound, hereby agree as follows:
1. Definitions.
(a) As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have
the following meanings:
(i) "Affiliate", of any specified Person (as hereinafter
defined) means any other Person who directly, or indirectly through one or more
intermediaries, is in control of, is controlled by, or is under common control
with, such specified Person. For purposes of this definition, control of a
Person means the power, directly or indirectly, to direct or cause the direction
of the management and policies of such Person whether by contract, securities,
ownership or otherwise; and the terms "controlling" and "controlled" have the
respective
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meanings correlative to the foregoing.
(ii) "Commission" means the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
(iii) "Current Market Price" on any date of determination
means the closing bid price of a share of the Common Stock on such day as
reported on the OTC Bulletin Board service of the National Association of
Securities Dealers, Inc. ("OTCBB"). If such security is not listed or admitted
to trading on the OTCBB, on the principal national security exchange or
quotation system on which such security is quoted or listed or admitted to
trading, or, if not quoted or listed or admitted to trading on any national
securities exchange or quotation system, the closing bid price of such security
on the over-the-counter market on the day in question as reported by Bloomberg,
L.P., or a generally accepted reporting service, as the case may be.
(iv) "Exchange Act" means the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, or
any similar successor statute.
(v) "Funding Date" means the date and time of the issuance
and sale of the Initially Issued Preferred Shares and the Initially Issued
Warrants.
(vi) "Investors" means the Investor and any permitted
transferee or assignee of Registrable Securities under the Securities Purchase
Agreement who agrees to become bound by all of the terms and provisions of this
Agreement in accordance with Section 8 hereof.
(vii) "Person" means any individual, partnership,
corporation, limited liability company, joint stock company, association, trust,
unincorporated organization, or a government or agency or political subdivision
thereof.
(viii) "Prospectus" means the prospectus (including,
without limitation, any preliminary prospectus and any final prospectus filed
pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, including any prospectus that
discloses information previously omitted from a prospectus filed as part of an
effective registration statement in reliance on Rule 430A under the Securities
Act) included in the Registration Statement (as hereinafter defined), as amended
or supplemented by any prospectus supplement with respect to the terms of the
offering of any portion of the Registrable Securities (as hereinafter defined)
covered by the Registration Statement and by all other amendments and
supplements to such prospectus, including all material incorporated by reference
in such prospectus and all documents filed after the date of such prospectus by
the Company under the Exchange Act and incorporated by reference therein.
(ix) "Public Offering" means an offer registered with the
Commission and the appropriate state securities commissions by the Company of
its Common Stock and made
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pursuant to the Securities Act. (x) "Registrable Securities" means the Common
Stock issued or issuable (i) in lieu of cash dividend payments on the Preferred
Shares, (ii) upon conversion of the Preferred Shares or (iii) upon exercise of
the Warrants; provided, however, that a share of Common Stock shall cease to be
a Registrable Security for purposes of this Agreement when it no longer is a
Restricted Security (as hereinafter defined).
(xi) "Registration Statement" means a registration
statement of the Company filed on an appropriate form under the Securities Act
providing for the registration of, and the sale on a continuous or delayed basis
by the holders of, all of the Registrable Securities pursuant to Rule 415 under
the Securities Act, including the Prospectus contained therein and forming a
part thereof, any amendments to such registration statement and supplements to
such Prospectus, and all exhibits and other material incorporated by reference
in such registration statement and Prospectus.
(xii) "Restricted Security" means any share of Common
Stock issued or issuable in lieu of cash dividend payments on the Preferred
Shares, upon conversion of the Preferred Shares or exercise of the Warrants
except any such share that (i) has been registered pursuant to an effective
registration statement under the Securities Act, (ii) has been transferred in
compliance with the resale provisions of Rule 144 under the Securities Act (or
any successor provision thereto) or is transferable pursuant to paragraph (d) of
Rule 144 under the Securities Act (or any successor provision thereto), or (iii)
otherwise has been transferred and a new share of Common Stock not subject to
transfer restrictions under the Securities Act has been delivered by or on
behalf of the Company.
(xiii) "Securities Act" means the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, or any
similar successor statute.
(b) All capitalized terms used and not defined herein have the
respective meaning assigned to them in the Securities Purchase Agreement.
2. Registration.
(a) Filing and Effectiveness of Registration Statement. The
Company shall prepare and file with the Commission (X) no earlier than (i)
seventy-five (75) days following the Funding Date or (ii) the date on which the
Investor shall have given written notice to the Company that it has waived its
right to exercise the Option, and (Y) no later than one hundred twenty (120)
days after May 15, 2000 (the "Benchmark Date"), a Registration Statement
relating to the offer and sale of all of the Registrable Securities and shall
use its best efforts to cause the Commission to declare such Registration
Statement effective under the Securities Act as promptly as practicable but not
later than one hundred ninety five (195) days after the Benchmark Date. The
Company shall not include any other securities in the Registration Statement
relating to the offer and sale of the Registrable Securities. The Company shall
notify the Investor by
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written notice that such Registration Statement has been declared effective by
the Commission within 24 hours of such declaration by the Commission.
(b) Registration Default. (i) If the Registration Statement
covering the Registrable Securities required to be filed by the Company pursuant
to Section 2 (a) hereof is not (A) filed with the Commission within one hundred
twenty (120) days after the Benchmark Date, or (B) declared effective by the
Commission within one hundred ninety five (195) days after the Benchmark Date
(either of which, without duplication, an "Initial Date"), then the Company
shall make the payments to the Investor as provided in the next sentence as
liquidated damages and not as a penalty. The amount to be paid by the Company to
the Investor shall be determined as of each Computation Date (as defined below),
and such amount shall be equal to 2% (the "Liquidated Damage Rate ") of the
Purchase Price (as defined in the Securities Purchase Agreement) from the
Initial Date to the first Computation Date and for each Computation Date
thereafter, calculated on a pro rata basis to the date on which the Registration
Statement is filed with or declared effective by the Commission (the "Periodic
Amount"); provided, however, that in no event shall the Liquidated Damages be
less than $15,000. The full Periodic Amount shall be paid by the Company to the
Investor by wire transfer of immediately available funds within three days after
each Computation Date.
(ii) As used in this Section 2(b), "Computation Date" means
the date which is 30 days after the applicable Initial Date and, if the
Registration Statement required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Section
2(a) has not theretofore been declared effective by the Commission, each date
which is 30 days after the most recent applicable Computation Date until such
Registration Statement is declared effective.
(iii) Notwithstanding the above, if the Registration Statement
covering the Registrable Securities required to be filed by the Company pursuant
to Section 2(a) hereof is not (x) filed with the Commission by the one hundred
twentieth (120th ) day after the Benchmark Date, or (y) declared effective by
the Commission by the one hundred ninety fifth (195th) day after the Benchmark
Date, the Company shall be in default of this Registration Rights Agreement.
(c) (i) If the Company proposes to register any of its
warrants, Common Stock or any other shares of common stock under the Securities
Act (other than a registration (A) on Form S-8 or S-4 or any successor or
similar forms, (B) relating to Common Stock or any other shares of common stock
of the Company issuable upon exercise of employee share options or in connection
with any employee benefit or similar plan of the Company, or (C) in connection
with a direct or indirect acquisition by the Company of another Person or any
transaction with respect to which Rule 145 (or any successor provision) under
the Securities Act applies), whether or not for sale for its own account), it
will at each such time, give written notice at least 20 days prior to the
anticipated filing date of the registration statement relating to such
registration to the Investor, which notice shall set forth such Investor's
rights under Section 3 hereof and shall offer the Investor the opportunity to
include in such registration statement such number of Registrable
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Shares as the Investor may request. Upon the written request of the Investor
made within ten (10) days after the receipt of notice from the Company (which
request shall specify the number of Registrable Shares intended to be disposed
of by such Investor), the Company will use its best efforts to effect the
registration under the Securities Laws of all Registrable Shares that the
Company has been so requested to register by the Investor, to the extent
requisite to permit the disposition of the Registrable Shares to be registered;
provided, however, that (A) if such registration involves a Public Offering, the
Investor must sell its Registrable Shares to the underwriters selected as
provided in Section 3(b) hereof on the same terms and conditions as apply to the
Company, and (B) if, at any time after giving written notice of its intention to
register any Registrable Shares pursuant to Section 3 hereof and prior to the
effective date of the registration statement filed in connection with such
registration, the Company shall determine for any reason not to register such
Registrable Shares, the Company shall give written notice to the Investor and,
thereupon, shall be relieved of its obligation to register any Registrable
Shares in connection with such registration. The Company's obligations under
this Section 2(c) shall terminate on the date that the registration statement to
be filed in accordance with Section 2(a) is declared effective by the
Commission.
(ii) If a registration pursuant to this Section 2(c)
involves a Public Offering and the managing underwriter thereof advises the
Company that, in its view, the number of shares of Common Stock, Warrants or
other shares of Common Stock that the Company and the Investors intend to
include in such registration exceeds the largest number of shares of Common
Stock or Warrants (including any other shares of Common Stock or Warrants of the
Company) that can be sold without having an adverse effect on such Public
Offering (the "Maximum Offering Size"), the Company will include in such
registration only such number of shares of Common Stock or Warrants, as
applicable, as does not exceed the Maximum Offering Size, and the number of
shares in the Maximum Offering Size shall be allocated among the Company, the
Investors and any other sellers of Common Stock or Warrants in such Public
Offering ("Third-Party Sellers"), first, among the Company and/or such
Third-Party Seller who has caused the registration statement to be filed until
all the shares of Common Stock or Warrants originally proposed to be offered for
sale have been allocated, and second, pro rata among the Investors and any other
Third-Party Seller with rights to include their Common Stock in such Public
Offering, in each case on the basis of the relative number of shares of Common
Stock or Warrants originally proposed to be offered for sale under such
registration by each of the Investors and said Third-Party Sellers, as the case
may be. If as a result of the proration provisions of this Section 2(c)(ii), any
Investor is not entitled to include all such Registrable Securities in such
registration, such Investor may elect to withdraw its request to include any
Registrable Securities in such registration. With respect to registrations
pursuant to this Section 2(c), the number of securities required to satisfy any
underwriters' over-allotment option shall be allocated among the Company, the
Investors and any Third Party Seller pro rata on the basis of the relative
number of securities offered for sale under such registration by each of the
Investors, the Company and any such Third. Party Sellers before the exercise of
such over-allotment option.
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3. Obligations of the Company. In connection with the
registration of the Registrable Securities, the Company shall:
(a) Promptly (i) prepare and file with the Commission such
amendments (including post-effective amendments) to the Registration Statement
and supplements to the Prospectus as may be necessary to keep the Registration
Statement continuously effective and in compliance with the provisions of the
Securities Act applicable thereto so as to permit the Prospectus forming part
thereof to be current and useable by Investors for resales of the Registrable
Securities for a period of one (1) year from the date on which the Registration
Statement is first declared effective by the Commission (the "Effective Time")
or such shorter period that will terminate when all the Registrable Securities
covered by the Registration Statement have been sold pursuant thereto in
accordance with the plan of distribution provided in the Prospectus, transferred
pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act or otherwise transferred in a
manner that results in the delivery of new securities not subject to transfer
restrictions under the Securities Act (the "Registration Period") and (ii) take
all lawful action such that each of (A) the Registration Statement and any
amendment thereto does not, when it becomes effective, contain an untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, not misleading and
(B) the Prospectus forming part of the Registration Statement, and any amendment
or supplement thereto, does not at any time during the Registration Period
include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in
light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 3(a), the Company may,
during the Registration Period, suspend the use of the Prospectus for a period
not to exceed thirty (30) days (whether or not consecutive) in any 12-month
period if the Board of Directors of the Company determines in good faith that
because of valid business reasons, including pending mergers or other business
combination transactions, the planned acquisition or divestiture of assets,
pending material corporate developments and similar events, it is in the best
interests of the Company to suspend such use, and prior to or contemporaneously
with suspending such use the Company provides the Investors with written notice
of such suspension, which notice need not specify the nature of the event giving
rise to such suspension. At the end of any such suspension period, the Company
shall provide the Investors with written notice of the termination of such
suspension.
(b) During the Registration Period, comply with the provisions
of the Securities Act with respect to the Registrable Securities of the Company
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 Investors as set forth in the Prospectus forming part of the
Registration Statement;
(c) (i) Prior to the filing with the Commission of any
Registration Statement (including any amendments thereto) and the distribution
or delivery of any Prospectus (including any supplements thereto), provide draft
copies thereof to the Investors and reflect in such
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documents all such comments as the Investors (and their counsel) reasonably may
propose and (ii) furnish to each Investor whose Registrable Securities are
included in the Registration Statement and its legal counsel identified to the
Company, (A) promptly after the same is prepared and publicly distributed, filed
with the Commission, or received by the Company, one copy of the Registration
Statement, each Prospectus, and each amendment or supplement thereto, and (B)
such number of copies of the 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) (i) Register or 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 such 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 all such other lawful actions as may be necessary to maintain such
registrations and qualifications in effect at all times during the Registration
Period, and (iv) take all such other lawful 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 to qualify to do business in any
jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to qualify but for this
Section 3(d);
(e) As promptly as practicable after becoming aware of such
event, notify each Investor of the occurrence of any event, 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
promptly prepare an amendment to the Registration Statement and supplement to
the Prospectus to correct such untrue statement or omission, and deliver a
number of copies of such supplement and amendment to each Investor as such
Investor may reasonably request;
(f) 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 Commission of any stop order or other suspension of the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement at the earliest possible time and
take all lawful action to effect the withdrawal, recession or removal of such
stop order or other suspension;
(g) Cause all the Registrable Securities covered by the
Registration Statement to be listed on any national securities exchange, and
included in any inter-dealer quotation system of a registered national
securities association, on or in which securities of the same class or series
issued by the Company are then listed or included;
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(h) Maintain 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;
(i) Cooperate with the Investors who hold Registrable
Securities being offered to facilitate the timely preparation and delivery of
certificates for the Registrable Securities to be offered pursuant to the
Registration Statement and enable such certificates for the Registrable
Securities to be in such denominations or amounts, as the case may be, as the
Investors reasonably may request and registered in such names as the Investor
may request; and, within three business days after a Registration Statement
which includes Registrable Securities is declared effective by the Commission,
deliver and 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
appropriate instruction and, to the extent necessary, an opinion of such
counsel;
(j) Take all such other lawful actions reasonably necessary to
expedite and facilitate the disposition by the Investors of their Registrable
Securities in accordance with the intended methods therefor provided in the
Prospectus which are customary under the circumstances;
(k) Make generally available to its security holders as soon
as practicable, but in any event not later than thirteen (13) months after (i)
the effective date (as defined in Rule 158(c) under the Securities Act) of the
Registration Statement, and (ii) the effective date of each post-effective
amendment to the Registration Statement, as the case may be, an earnings
statement of the Company and its subsidiaries complying with Section 11(a) of
the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder
(including, at the option of the Company, Rule 158);
(l) In the event of an underwritten offering, promptly include
or incorporate in a Prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment to the
Registration Statement such information as any managing underwriter reasonably
agrees should be included therein and to which the Company does not reasonably
object and make all required filings of such Prospectus supplement or
post-effective amendment as soon as practicable after it is notified of the
matters to be included or incorporated in such Prospectus supplement or
post-effective amendment;
(m) (i) Make reasonably available for inspection by Investors,
any underwriter participating in any disposition pursuant to the Registration
Statement, and any attorney, accountant or other agent retained by such
Investors or any such underwriter all relevant financial and other records,
pertinent corporate documents and properties of the Company and its
subsidiaries, and (ii) cause the Company's officers, directors and employees to
supply all information reasonably requested by such Investors or any such
underwriter, attorney, accountant or agent in connection with the Registration
Statement, in each case, as is customary for similar due diligence examinations;
provided, however, that all records, information and documents that are
designated in writing by the Company, in good faith, as confidential,
proprietary or
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containing any material non-public information shall be kept confidential by
such Investors and any such underwriter, attorney, accountant or agent (pursuant
to an appropriate confidentiality agreement in the case of any such holder or
agent), unless such disclosure is made pursuant to judicial process in a court
proceeding (after first giving the Company an opportunity promptly to seek a
protective order or otherwise limit the scope of the information sought to be
disclosed) or is required by law, or such records, information or documents
become available to the public generally or through a third party not in
violation of an accompanying obligation of confidentiality; provided, however,
that such records, information and documents shall be used by such person solely
for the purpose of determining that disclosures made in the Registration
Statement are true and correct, and for no other purpose; and provided further
that, if the foregoing inspection and information gathering would otherwise
disrupt the Company's conduct of its business, such inspection and information
gathering shall, to the maximum extent possible, be coordinated on behalf of the
Investors and the other parties entitled thereto by one firm of counsel designed
by and on behalf of the majority in interest of Investors and other parties;
(n) In connection with any underwritten offering, make such
representations and warranties to the Investors participating in such
underwritten offering and to the managers, in form, substance and scope as are
customarily made by the Company to underwriters in secondary underwritten
offerings;
(o) In connection with any underwritten offering, obtain
opinions of counsel to the Company (which counsel and opinions (in form, scope
and substance) shall be reasonably satisfactory to the managers) addressed to
the underwriters, covering such matters as are customarily covered in opinions
requested in secondary underwritten offerings (it being agreed that the matters
to be covered by such opinions shall include, without limitation, as of the date
of the opinion and as of the Effective Time of the Registration Statement or
most recent post-effective amendment thereto, as the case may be, the absence
from the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, including any documents
incorporated by reference therein, of an untrue statement of a material fact or
the omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to
make the statements therein (in the case of the Prospectus, in light of the
circumstances under which they were made) not misleading, subject to customary
limitations);
(p) In connection with any underwritten offering, obtain "cold
comfort" letters and updates thereof from the independent public accountants of
the Company (and, if necessary, from the independent public accountants of any
subsidiary of the Company or of any business acquired by the Company, in each
case for which financial statements and financial data are, or are required to
be, included in the Registration Statement), addressed to each underwriter
participating in such underwritten offering (if such underwriter has provided
such letter, representations or documentation, if any, required for such cold
comfort letter to be so addressed), in customary form and covering matters of
the type customarily covered in "cold comfort" letters in connection with
secondary underwritten offerings;
(q) In connection with any underwritten offering, deliver such
documents and
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certificates as may be reasonably required by the managers, if any; and
(r) In the event that any broker-dealer registered under the
Exchange Act shall be an "Affiliate" (as defined in Rule 2729(b)(1) of the rules
and regulations of the NASD (the "NASD Rules") (or any successor provision
thereto)) of the Company or has a "conflict of interest" (as defined in Rule
2720(b)(7) of the NASD Rules (or any successor provision thereto)) and such
broker-dealer shall underwrite, participate as a member of an underwriting
syndicate or selling group or assist in the distribution of any Registrable
Securities covered by the Registration Statement, whether as a holder of such
Registrable Securities or as an underwriter, a placement or sales agent or a
broker or dealer in respect thereof, or otherwise, the Company shall assist such
broker-dealer in complying with the requirements of the NASD Rules, including,
without limitation, by (A) engaging a "qualified independent underwriter" (as
defined in Rule 2720(b) (15) of the NASD Rules (or any successor provision
thereto)) to participate in the preparation of the Registration Statement
relating to such Registrable Securities, to exercise usual standards of due
diligence in respect thereof and to recommend the public offering price of such
Registrable Securities, (B) indemnifying such qualified independent underwriter
to the extent of the indemnification of underwriters provided in Section 6(a)
hereof, and (C) providing such information to such broker-dealer as may be
required in order for such broker--dealer to comply with the requirements of the
NASD Rules.
4. 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. As least ten (10)
business 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 such Investor
elects to have any of its Registrable Securities included in the Registration
Statement. If at least five (5) business days prior to the anticipated 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 and have no further obligations to the Non-Responsive Investor;
(b) Each Investor by its acceptance of the Registrable
Securities agrees to cooperate with the Company in connection with the
preparation and filing of the Registration Statement hereunder, unless such
Investor has notified the Company in writing of its election to exclude all of
its Registrable Securities from the Registration Statement; and
(c) Each Investor agrees that, upon receipt of any notice from
the Company of
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the occurrence of any event of the kind described in Section 3(e) or 3(f), it
shall immediately discontinue its 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 3(e) 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.
5. Expenses of Registration. All expenses, other than
underwriting discounts and commissions, incurred in connection with
registrations, filings or qualifications pursuant to Section 3, but including,
without limitation, all registration, listing, and qualifications fees, printing
and engraving fees, accounting fees, and the fees and disbursements of counsel
for the Company, and the reasonable fees of one firm of counsel to the holders
of a majority in interest of the Registrable Securities shall be borne by the
Company.
6. Indemnification and Contribution.
(a) The Company shall indemnify and hold harmless each
Investor and each underwriter, if any, which facilitates the disposition of
Registrable Securities, and each of their respective officers and directors and
each person who controls such Investor or underwriter within the meaning of
Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act (each such
person being sometimes hereinafter referred to as an "Indemnified Person") from
and against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to
which such Indemnified Person may become subject under the Securities Act or
otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in
respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Registration Statement or
an omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, not misleading, or
arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement
of a material fact contained in any Prospectus or an omission or alleged
omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances
under which they were made, not misleading; and the Company hereby agrees to
reimburse such Indemnified Person for all reasonable legal and other expenses
incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such action
or claim as and when such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the
Company shall not be liable to any such Indemnified Person in any such case to
the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is
based upon (i) an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement made in, or an
omission or alleged omission from, such Registration Statement or Prospectus in
reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the
Company by such Indemnified Person expressly for use therein or (ii) in the case
of the occurrence of an event of the type specified in Section 3(e), the use by
the Indemnified Person of an outdated or defective Prospectus after the Company
has provided to such Indemnified Person an updated Prospectus correcting the
untrue
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statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission giving
rise to such loss, claim, damage or liability.
(b) Indemnification by the Investors and Underwriters. Each
Investor agrees, as a consequence of the inclusion of any of its Registrable
Securities in a Registration Statement, and each underwriter, if any, which
facilitates the disposition of Registrable Securities shall agree, as a
consequence of facilitating such disposition of Registrable Securities,
severally and not jointly, to (i) indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its
directors (including any person who, with his or her consent, is named in the
Registration Statement as a director nominee of the Company), its officers who
sign any Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the
Company within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section
20 of the Exchange Act, against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to
which the Company or such other persons may become subject, under the Securities
Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or
actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement
or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in such Registration
Statement or Prospectus or arise out of or are based upon the omission or
alleged omission to state therein 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, in the case of the Prospectus), not misleading, in each
case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or
alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in reliance
upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such
holder or underwriter expressly for use therein; provided, however, that no
Investor or underwriter shall be liable under this Section 6(b) for any amount
in excess of the net proceeds paid to such Investor or underwriter in respect of
shares sold by it, and (ii) reimburse the Company for any legal or other
expenses incurred by the Company in connection with investigating or defending
any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred.
(c) Notice of Claims, etc. Promptly after receipt by a party
seeking indemnification pursuant to this Section 6 (an "Indemnified Party") of
written notice of any investigation, claim, proceeding or other action in
respect of which indemnification is being sought (each, a "Claim"), the
Indemnified Party promptly shall notify the party against whom indemnification
pursuant to this Section 6 is being sought (the "Indemnifying Party") of the
commencement thereof; but the omission to so notify the Indemnifying Party shall
not relieve it from any liability that it otherwise may have to the Indemnified
Party, except to the extent that the Indemnifying Party is materially prejudiced
and forfeits substantive rights and defenses by reason of such failure. In
connection with any Claim as to which both the Indemnifying Party and the
Indemnified Party are parties, the Indemnifying Party shall be entitled to
assume the defense thereof. Notwithstanding the assumption of the defense of any
Claim by the Indemnifying Party, the Indemnified Party shall have the right to
employ separate legal counsel and to participate in the defense of such Claim,
and the Indemnifying Party shall bear the reasonable fees, out-of--pocket costs
and expenses of such separate legal counsel to the Indemnified Party if (and
only if): (x) the Indemnifying Party shall have agreed to pay such fees, costs
and expenses, (y) the Indemnified Party and the Indemnifying Party shall
reasonably have concluded that
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representation of the Indemnified Party by the Indemnifying Party by the same
legal counsel would not be appropriate due to actual or, as reasonably
determined by legal counsel to the Indemnified Party, potentially differing
interests between such parties in the conduct of the defense of such Claim, or
if there may be legal defenses available to the Indemnified Party that are in
addition to or disparate from those available to the Indemnifying Party, or (z)
the Indemnifying Party shall have failed to employ legal counsel reasonably
satisfactory to the Indemnified Party within a reasonable period of time after
notice of the commencement of such Claim. If the Indemnified Party employs
separate legal counsel in circumstances other than as described in clauses (x) ,
(y) or (z) above, the fees, costs and expenses of such legal counsel shall be
borne exclusively by the Indemnified Party. Except as provided above, the
Indemnifying Party shall not, in connection with any Claim in the same
jurisdiction, be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one firm of
counsel for the Indemnified Party (together with appropriate local counsel). The
Indemnifying Party shall not, without the prior written consent of the
Indemnifying Party (which consent shall not unreasonably be withheld), settle or
compromise any Claim or consent to the entry of any judgment that does not
include an unconditional release of the Indemnifying Party from all liabilities
with respect to such Claim or judgment.
(d) Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in this
Section 6 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an Indemnified
Party under subsection (a) or (b) above in respect of any losses, claims,
damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to therein, then
each Indemnifying Party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such
Indemnified Party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or
actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the
relative fault of the Indemnifying Party and the Indemnified Party in connection
with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages
or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant
equitable considerations. The relative fault of such Indemnifying Party and
Indemnified Party shall be determined by reference to, among other things,
whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or
alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by
such Indemnified Party or by such Indemnified Party, and the parties' relative
intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent
such statement or omission. The parties hereto agree that it would not be just
and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 6(d) were determined by
pro rata allocation (even if the Investors or any underwriters were treated as
one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not
take account of the equitable considerations referred to in this Section 6 (d) .
The amount paid or payable by an Indemnified Party as a result of the losses,
claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to above
shall be deemed to include any legal or other fees or expenses reasonably
incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending
any such action or claim. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation
(within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to
contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent
misrepresentation. The obligations of the Investors and any underwriters in this
Section 6(d) to contribute shall be several in proportion to the percentage of
Registrable Securities registered or underwritten, as the case may be, by them
and not joint.
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(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 6, in
no event shall any (i) Investor be required to undertake liability to any person
under this Section 6 for any amounts in excess of the dollar amount of the
proceeds to be received by such Investor from the sale of such Investor's
Registrable Securities (after deducting any fees, discounts and commissions
applicable thereto) pursuant to any Registration Statement under which such
Registrable Securities are to be registered under the Securities Act and (ii)
underwriter be required to undertake liability to any Person hereunder for any
amounts in excess of the aggregate discount, commission or other compensation
payable to such underwriter with respect to the Registrable Securities
underwritten by it and distributed pursuant to the Registration Statement.
(f) The obligations of the Company under this Section 6 shall
be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have to any
Indemnified Person and the obligations of any Indemnified Party under this
Section 6 shall be in addition to any liability which such Indemnified Party may
otherwise have to the Company. The remedies provided in this Section 6 are not
exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be
available to an indemnified party at law or in equity.
7. Rule 144. With a view to making available to the Investors the
benefits of Rule 144 under the Securities Act or any other similar rule or
regulation of the Commission 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 use its best efforts to:
(a) comply with the provisions of paragraph (c) (1) of Rule
144; and
(b) file with the Commission in a timely manner all reports
and other documents required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Section 13
or 15(d) under the Exchange Act; and, if at any time it is not required to file
such reports but in the past had been required to or did file such reports, it
will, upon the request of any Holder, make available other information as
required by, and so long as necessary to permit sales of, its Registrable
Securities pursuant to Rule 144.
8. Assignment. The rights to have the Company register
Registrable Securities pursuant to this Agreement shall be automatically
assigned by the Investors to not more than five (5) transferees of all or any
portion of such securities (or all or any portion of any Preferred Shares or
Warrant of the Company which is convertible into such securities) of Registrable
Securities only if: (a) the Investor agrees in writing with the transferee or
assignee to assign such rights subject to the terms and conditions of this
Agreement and the Securities Purchase Agreement, 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 securities so transferred
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or assigned to the transferee or assignee constitute Restricted Securities, and
(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.
9. Amendment and Waiver. 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 9 shall be binding upon each Investor and the Company.
10. Miscellaneous.
(a) A person or entity shall be 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) If, after the date hereof and prior to the Commission
declaring the Registration Statement to be filed pursuant to Section 2(a)
effective under the Securities Act, the Company grants to any Person any
registration rights with respect to any Company securities which are more
favorable to such other Person than those provided in this Agreement, then the
Company forthwith shall grant (by means of an amendment to this Agreement or
otherwise) identical registration rights to all Investors hereunder.
(c) Except as may be otherwise provided herein, any notice or
other communication or delivery required or permitted hereunder shall be in
writing and shall be sent by facsimile with a copy delivered personally or sent
by a nationally recognized overnight courier service, and shall be deemed given
when so delivered personally or by overnight courier service, as follows:
(1) if to the Company, to:
SYMPOSIUM CORPORATION
410 Park Avenue - Suite 830
New York, New York 10022
Attention: Ronald Altbach
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Telephone: (212) 754-9901
Facsimile: (212) 754-9906
With a copy to:
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KRAMER LEVIN NAFTALIS & FRANKEL LLP
919 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Attention: Howard J. Rothman, Esq.
Telephone: (212) 715-9242
Facsimile: (212) 715-8000
(2) if to the Investor, to:
THE SHAAR FUND LTD.,
c/o SHAAR ADVISORY SERVICES LTD.
62 King George Street, Apartment 4F
Jerusalem, Israel
Attention: Sam Levinson
with a copy to:
HERRICK, FEINSTEIN LLP
2 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10016
Attention: Irwin A. Kishner, Esq.
Telephone: (212) 592-1400
Facsimile: (212) 889-7577
(3) if to any other Investor, at such address as such
Investor shall have provided in writing to the Company.
The Company or any Investor may change the foregoing address by notice given
pursuant to this Section 10(c).
(d) 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.
(e) This Agreement shall be governed by and interpreted in
accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware. Each of the parties consents
to the jurisdiction of the federal courts whose districts encompass any part of
the City of New York or the state courts of the State of New York sitting in the
City of New York in connection with any dispute arising under this Agreement and
hereby waives, to the maximum extent permitted by law, any objection including
any objection based on forum non conveniens, to the bringing of any such
proceeding in such jurisdictions.
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(f) The remedies provided in this Agreement are cumulative and
not exclusive of any remedies provided by law. If any term, provision, covenant
or restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to
be invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms,
provision, covenants and restrictions set forth herein shall remain in full
force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated, and
the parties hereto shall use their best efforts to find and employ an
alternative means to achieve the same or substantially the same result as that
contemplated by such term, provision, covenant or restriction. It is hereby
stipulated and declared to be the intention of the parties that they would have
executed the remaining terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions without
including any of such that may be hereafter declared invalid, illegal, void or
unenforceable.
(g) Subsequent to the date hereof, the Company shall not enter
into any agreement with respect to its securities that is inconsistent with the
rights granted to the holders of Registrable Securities in this Agreement or
otherwise conflicts with the provisions hereof. Subject to the registration
rights set forth on Schedule IIIA.I of the Securities Purchase Agreement, the
Company is not currently a party to any agreement granting any registration
rights with respect to any of its securities to any person which conflicts with
the Company's obligations hereunder or gives any other party the right to
include any securities in any Registration Statement filed pursuant hereto,
except for such rights and conflicts as have been irrevocably waived. The
restrictions on the Company's rights to grant registration rights under this
paragraph shall terminate on the date the Registration Statement to be filed
pursuant to Section 2(a) is declared effective by the Commission.
(h) This Agreement, the Securities Purchase Agreement, the
Escrow Instructions, dated as of the date hereof (the "Escrow Instructions "),
between the Company, the Investor and Herrick, Feinstein LLP, the Preferred
Shares and the Warrants constitute 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, the Securities Purchase Agreement, the Escrow Instructions, the
Certificate of Designation and the Warrants supersede all prior agreements and
undertakings among the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof.
(i) Subject to the requirements of Section 8 hereof, this
Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the successors and
assigns of each of the parties hereto.
(j) All pronouns and any variations thereof refer to the
masculine, feminine or neuter, singular or plural, as the context may require.
(k) The headings in this Agreement are for convenience of
reference only and shall not limit or otherwise affect the meaning thereof.
(l) The Company acknowledges that any failure by the Company
to perform its obligations under Section 3, or any delay in such performance
could result in direct damages to
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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 damages caused by such failure or delay.
(m) 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. A facsimile transmission of this signed
Agreement shall be legal and binding on all parties hereto.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Agreement to be duly
executed and delivered as of the date first above written.
THE COMPANY:
-----------
SYMPOSIUM CORPORATION
By:____________________________
Ronald Altbach
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
BUYER:
THE SHAAR FUND LTD.
By: SHAAR ADVISORY SERVICES, N.V.
By:_________________________________
Wim Langeveld, Managing Director
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