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People PC, Inc.
Shares
Common Stock
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
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July __, 2000
Chase Securities Inc.
FleetBoston Robertson Stephens Inc.
J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.
Prudential Securities Incorporated
c/o Chase Securities Inc.
One Bush Street
San Francisco, CA 94104
Ladies and Gentlemen:
People PC, Inc., a Delaware corporation (herein called the Company),
proposes to issue and sell 11,500,000 shares of its authorized but unissued
Common Stock, $.0001 par value (herein called the Common Stock) (said 11,500,000
shares of Common Stock being herein called the Underwritten Stock). The Company
proposes to grant to the Underwriters (as hereinafter defined) an option to
purchase up to 1,725,000 additional shares of Common Stock (herein called the
Option Stock and with the Underwritten Stock herein collectively called the
Stock). The Common Stock is more fully described in the Registration Statement
and the Prospectus hereinafter mentioned.
The Company hereby confirms the agreements made with respect to the
purchase of the Stock by the several underwriters, for whom you are acting,
named in Schedule I hereto (herein collectively called the Underwriters, which
term shall also include any underwriter purchasing Stock pursuant to Section
3(b) hereof). You represent and warrant that you have been authorized by each
of the other Underwriters to enter into this Agreement on its behalf and to act
for it in the manner herein provided.
1. Registration Statement. The Company has filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (herein called the Commission) a registration statement on
Form S-1 (No. 333-34114), including the related preliminary prospectus, for the
registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (herein called the
Securities Act) of the Stock. Copies of such registration statement and of each
amendment thereto, if any, including the related preliminary prospectus (meeting
the requirements of Rule 430A of the rules and regulations of the Commission)
heretofore filed by the Company with the Commission have been delivered to you.
The term Registration Statement as used in this agreement shall mean such
registration statement, including all exhibits and financial statements, all
information omitted therefrom in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in the
Prospectus referred to below, in the form in which it became effective, and any
registration statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) of the rules and
regulations of the Commission with respect to the Stock (herein called a Rule
462(b) registration statement), and, in the event of any amendment thereto after
the effective date of such registration statement (herein called the Effective
Date), shall also mean (from and after the effectiveness of such amendment) such
registration statement as so amended (including any Rule 462(b) registration
statement). The term Prospectus as used in this Agreement shall mean the
prospectus relating to the Stock first filed with the Commission pursuant to
Rule 424(b) and Rule 430A (or if no such filing is required, as included in the
Registration Statement) and, in the event of any supplement or amendment to such
prospectus after the Effective Date, shall also mean (from and after the filing
with the Commission of such supplement or the effectiveness of such amendment)
such prospectus as so supplemented or amended. The term Preliminary Prospectus
as used in this Agreement shall mean each preliminary prospectus included in
such registration statement prior to the time it becomes effective.
The Registration Statement has been declared effective under the Securities
Act, and no post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement has been
filed as of the date of this Agreement. The Company has caused to be delivered
to you copies of each Preliminary Prospectus and has consented to the use of
such copies for the purposes permitted by the Securities Act.
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2. Representations and Warranties of the Company.
(a) The Company hereby represents and warrants as follows:
(i) Each of the Company and its subsidiaries has been duly
incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing
under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, has full corporate
power and authority to own or lease its properties and conduct its business
as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and as being
conducted, and is duly qualified as a foreign corporation and in good
standing in all jurisdictions in which the character of the property owned
or leased or the nature of the business transacted by it makes
qualification necessary (except where the failure to be so qualified would
not have a material adverse change or any development involving a
prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the general affairs,
business, properties, financial condition or results of operations of the
Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole (a "Material Adverse
Effect")). All the issued and outstanding stock of each of the
subsidiaries of the Company has been duly authorized and validly issued and
is fully paid and non-assessable, and is owned by the Company (other than
directors' qualifying shares and those shares of People PC N.V. that are
owned by @VISO) free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and security
interests, and no options, warrants or other rights to purchase, agreements
or other obligations to issue or other rights to convert any obligations
into shares of capital stock or ownership interests in such subsidiaries
are outstanding.
(ii) Since the respective dates as of which information is given in
the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company and its
subsidiaries have not sustained any Material Adverse Effect, whether or not
arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, fire,
explosion, flood or other calamity (whether or not covered by insurance),
or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree,
other than as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus;
and since the respective dates as of which information is given in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of
its subsidiaries has entered into any material transaction not referred to
in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, otherwise than as set
forth or contemplated in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(iii) The Registration Statement and the Prospectus comply, and on
the Closing Date (as hereinafter defined) and any later date on which
Option Stock is to be purchased, the Prospectus will comply, in all
material respects, with the provisions of the Securities Act and the rules
and regulations of the Commission thereunder; on the Effective Date, the
Registration Statement did not contain any untrue statement of a material
fact and did not omit to state any material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not
misleading; and, on the Effective Date the Prospectus did not and, on the
Closing Date and any later date on which Option Stock is to be purchased,
will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state
any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the
light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;
provided, however, that none of the representations and warranties in this
subparagraph (iii) shall apply to statements in, or omissions from, the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus made in reliance upon and in
conformity with information herein or otherwise furnished in writing to the
Company by or on behalf of the Underwriters for use in the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus.
(iv) The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the
Prospectus as of the date set forth therein, and all of the issued shares
of capital stock of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and
issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and conform to the description of
the stock contained in the Prospectus.
(v) The Stock, when issued and sold to the Underwriters as provided
herein, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and
conforms to the description thereof in the Prospectus; and no preemptive
rights of, or rights of first refusal in favor of stockholders exist with
respect to the Stock, or the issue and sale thereof, pursuant to the
Certificate of Incorporation and By-laws of the Company and there are no
contractual preemptive rights that have not been waived, rights of first
refusal or rights of co-sale which exist with respect to the issue and sale
of the Stock. No further approval or authority of the stockholders or the
Board of Directors of the Company will be required for the issuance and
sale of the Stock as contemplated herein.
(vi) All holders of securities of the Company having rights to the
registration of Common Stock, or other securities because of the filing of
the Registration Statement by the Company have waived such rights or such
rights have expired by reason of lapse of time following notification of
the Company's intent to file the Registration Statement.
(vii) Prior to the Closing Date the Stock to be issued and sold by
the Company will be authorized for quotation on the Nasdaq National Market
upon official notice of issuance.
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(viii) No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary
Prospectus has been issued by the Commission.
(ix) The Company owns no real property and has good and marketable
title to all personal property owned by it, in each case free and clear of
all liens, encumbrances and defects except (i) such as are described in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (ii) such as have been granted
to Chase Manhattan Bank in the form of security interests or (iii) such as
do not materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere
with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company;
and any real property and buildings held under lease by the Company are
held by them under valid and subsisting leases with such exceptions as are
not material and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made
of such property and buildings by the Company.
(x) The issue and sale of the Stock by the Company and the compliance
by the Company with all of the provisions of this Agreement and the
consummation of the transactions herein contemplated will not (i) conflict
with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions
of, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust,
loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a
party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to
which any of the property or assets of the Company is subject, or (ii)
result in any violation of the provisions of the Certificate of
Incorporation or By-laws of the Company or, to the Company's knowledge, any
statute or any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental
agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its
properties, except, in the case of (i), for such breaches or violations as
would not prevent or delay the Company from performing its obligations
hereunder or such breaches or violations as would not have a Material
Adverse Effect, and no consent, approval, authorization, order,
registration or qualification of or with any such court or governmental
agency or body is required for the issue and sale of the Stock or the
consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement, except the registration under the Securities Act of the Stock
and such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or
qualifications as may be required under state securities or blue sky laws
in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Stock by the
Underwriters.
(xi) The Company is not in violation of its Certificate of
Incorporation or By-laws.
(xii) The Company is not in default in the performance or observance
of any material obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in
any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, lease or other
agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its
properties may be bound except those defaults that would not have a
Material Adverse Effect.
(xiii) The statements set forth in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus under the caption "Description of Capital Stock", insofar as
they purport to constitute a summary of the terms of the Stock, accurately
and fairly present in all material respects the matters required to be
described therein.
(xiv) Other than as set forth in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending to which
the Company is a party or of which any property of the Company is the
subject which, if determined adversely to the Company, would individually
or in the aggregate have a material adverse effect on the current or future
consolidated financial position, stockholders' equity or results of
operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole; and, to
the Company's knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated
by governmental authorities or threatened by others.
(xv) The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and
sale of the Stock, will not be an "investment company", as such term is
defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Investment
Company Act").
(xvi) PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, who have certified certain
financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, are independent
public accountants as required by the Act and the rules and regulations of
the Commission thereunder.
(xvii) The Company owns or possesses or can acquire on reasonable
terms adequate licenses or other rights to use all patents, trademarks,
service marks, trade names, copyrights, know-how, trade secrets and other
intellectual property necessary to conduct the business of the Company in
the manner in which it is being conducted (and has owned or possessed such
rights with respect to the conduct of the business in the past), and the
Company has not received any notice of infringement or of conflict with
(and the Company knows of no such infringement or conflict with) asserted
rights of others with respect to any patents, trademarks, service marks,
trade names, copyrights, know-how, trade secrets or other intellectual
property which, if determined adversely to the Company or its subsidiaries,
would
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individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect; and
the inventions, products or processes referred to in the Prospectus do not,
to the knowledge of the Company, infringe or conflict with any right or
patent, or any invention, product or process which is the subject of a
patent application known to the Company, which if determined adversely
would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
3. Purchase of the Stock by the Underwriters.
(a) On the basis of the representations and warranties and subject to the
terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell
11,500,000 shares of the Underwritten Stock to the several Underwriters and each
of the Underwriters agrees to purchase from the Company the respective aggregate
number of shares of Underwritten Stock set forth opposite its name in Schedule
I. The price at which such shares of Underwritten Stock shall be sold by the
Company and purchased by the several Underwriters shall be $___ per share. In
making this Agreement, each Underwriter is contracting severally and not
jointly; except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this Section 3, the
agreement of each Underwriter is to purchase only the respective number of
shares of the Underwritten Stock specified in Schedule I.
(b) If for any reason one or more of the Underwriters shall fail or refuse
(otherwise than for a reason sufficient to justify the termination of this
Agreement under the provisions of Section 8 or 9 hereof) to purchase and pay for
the number of shares of the Stock agreed to be purchased by such Underwriter or
Underwriters, the Company shall immediately give notice thereof to you, and the
non-defaulting Underwriters shall have the right within 24 hours after the
receipt by you of such notice to purchase, or procure one or more other
Underwriters to purchase, in such proportions as may be agreed upon between you
and such purchasing Underwriter or Underwriters and upon the terms herein set
forth, all or any part of the shares of the Stock which such defaulting
Underwriter or Underwriters agreed to purchase. If the non-defaulting
Underwriters fail so to make such arrangements with respect to all such shares
and portion, the number of shares of the Stock which each non-defaulting
Underwriter is otherwise obligated to purchase under this Agreement shall be
automatically increased on a pro rata basis to absorb the remaining shares and
portion which the defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed to purchase;
provided, however, that the non-defaulting Underwriters shall not be obligated
to purchase the shares and portion which the defaulting Underwriter or
Underwriters agreed to purchase if the aggregate number of such shares of the
Stock exceeds 10% of the total number of shares of the Stock which all
Underwriters agreed to purchase hereunder. If the total number of shares of the
Stock which the defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed to purchase shall
not be purchased or absorbed in accordance with the two preceding sentences, the
Company shall have the right, within 24 hours next succeeding the 24-hour period
above referred to, to make arrangements with other underwriters or purchasers
satisfactory to you for purchase of such shares and portion on the terms herein
set forth. In any such case, either you or the Company shall have the right to
postpone the Closing Date determined as provided in Section 5 hereof for not
more than seven business days after the date originally fixed as the Closing
Date pursuant to said Section 5 in order that any necessary changes in the
Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any other documents or arrangements
may be made. If neither the non-defaulting Underwriters nor the Company shall
make arrangements within the 24-hour periods stated above for the purchase of
all the shares of the Stock which the defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters
agreed to purchase hereunder, this Agreement shall be terminated without further
act or deed and without any liability on the part of the Company to any non-
defaulting Underwriter and without any liability on the part of any non-
defaulting Underwriter to the Company. Nothing in this paragraph (b), and no
action taken hereunder, shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability
in respect of any default of such Underwriter under this Agreement.
(c) On the basis of the representations, warranties and covenants herein
contained, and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company
grants an option to the several Underwriters to purchase, severally and not
jointly, up to 1,725,000 shares in the aggregate of the Option Stock from the
Company at the same price per share as the Underwriters shall pay for the
Underwritten Stock. Said option may be exercised only to cover over-allotments
in the sale of the Underwritten Stock by the Underwriters and may be exercised
in whole or in part at any time (but not more than once) on or before the
thirtieth day after the date of this Agreement upon written or telegraphic
notice by you to the Company setting forth the aggregate number of shares of the
Option Stock as to which the several Underwriters are exercising the option.
Delivery of certificates for the shares of Option Stock, and payment therefor,
shall be made as provided in Section 5 hereof. The number of shares of the
Option Stock to be purchased by each Underwriter shall be the same percentage of
the total number of shares of the Option Stock to be purchased by the several
Underwriters as such Underwriter is purchasing of the Underwritten Stock, as
adjusted by you in such manner as you deem advisable to avoid fractional shares.
4. Offering by Underwriters.
(a) The terms of the initial public offering by the Underwriters of the
Stock to be purchased by them shall be as set forth in the Prospectus. The
Underwriters may from time to time change the public offering price after the
closing of the initial public offering and increase or decrease the concessions
and discounts to dealers as they may determine.
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(b) The information set forth in the last paragraph on the front cover page
and under "Underwriting" in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary
Prospectus and the Prospectus relating to the Stock filed by the Company
(insofar as such information relates to the Underwriters) constitutes the only
information furnished by the Underwriters to the Company for inclusion in the
Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, and the Prospectus, and you
on behalf of the respective Underwriters represent and warrant to the Company
that the statements made therein are correct.
5. Delivery of and Payment for the Stock.
(a) Delivery of certificates for the shares of the Underwritten Stock and
the Option Stock (if the option granted by Section 3(c) hereof shall have been
exercised not later than 7:00 A.M., San Francisco time, on the date two business
days preceding the Closing Date), and payment therefor, shall be made at the
office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, 650 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto,
California, at 7:00 a.m., San Francisco time, on the fourth business day after
the date of this Agreement, or at such time on such other day, not later than
seven full business days after such fourth business day, as shall be agreed upon
in writing by the Company and you. The date and hour of such delivery and
payment (which may be postponed as provided in Section 3(b) hereof) are herein
called the Closing Date.
(b) If the option granted by Section 3(c) hereof shall be exercised after
7:00 a.m., San Francisco time, on the date two business days preceding the
Closing Date, delivery of certificates for the shares of Option Stock, and
payment therefor, shall be made at the office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich &
Rosati, 650 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, California, at 7:00 a.m., San Francisco
time, on the third business day after the exercise of such option.
(c) Payment for the Stock purchased from the Company shall be made to the
Company or its order by one or more certified or official bank check or checks
in same day funds. Such payment shall be made upon delivery of certificates for
the Stock to you for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters against
receipt therefor signed by you. Certificates for the Stock to be delivered to
you shall be registered in such name or names and shall be in such denominations
as you may request at least one business day before the Closing Date, in the
case of Underwritten Stock, and at least one business day prior to the purchase
thereof, in the case of the Option Stock. Such certificates will be made
available to the Underwriters for inspection, checking and packaging at the
offices of Lewco Securities Corporation, 2 Broadway, New York, New York 10004 on
the business day prior to the Closing Date or, in the case of the Option Stock,
by 3:00 p.m., New York time, on the business day preceding the date of purchase.
It is understood that you, individually and not on behalf of the
Underwriters, may (but shall not be obligated to) make payment to the Company
for shares to be purchased by any Underwriter whose check shall not have been
received by you on the Closing Date or any later date on which Option Stock is
purchased for the account of such Underwriter. Any such payment by you shall
not relieve such Underwriter from any of its obligations hereunder.
6. Further Agreements of the Company. The Company covenants and agrees
as follows:
(a) The Company will (i) prepare and timely file with the Commission
under Rule 424(b) a Prospectus containing information previously omitted at
the time of effectiveness of the Registration Statement in reliance on Rule
430A and (ii) not file any amendment to the Registration Statement or
supplement to the Prospectus of which you shall not previously have been
advised and furnished with a copy or to which you shall have reasonably
objected in writing or which is not in compliance with the Securities Act
or the rules and regulations of the Commission.
(b) The Company will promptly notify each Underwriter in the event of
(i) the request by the Commission for amendment of the Registration
Statement or for supplement to the Prospectus or for any additional
information, (ii) the issuance by the Commission of any stop order
suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, (iii) the
institution or notice of intended institution of any action or proceeding
for that purpose, (iv) the receipt by the Company of any notification with
respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Stock for sale in any
jurisdiction, or (v) the receipt by it of notice of the initiation or
threatening of any proceeding for such purpose. The Company will make
every reasonable effort to prevent the issuance of such a stop order and,
if such an order shall at any time be issued, to obtain the withdrawal
thereof at the earliest possible moment.
(c) The Company will (i) on or before the Closing Date, deliver to you
a signed copy of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of each
amendment thereto filed prior to the time the Registration Statement
becomes effective and, promptly upon the filing thereof, a signed copy of
each post-effective amendment, if any, to the Registration Statement
(together with, in each case, all exhibits thereto unless previously
furnished to you) and will also deliver to you, for distribution to the
Underwriters, a sufficient number of additional conformed copies of each of
the foregoing (but without
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exhibits) so that one copy of each may be distributed to each Underwriter,
(ii) as promptly as possible deliver to you and send to the several
Underwriters, at such office or offices as you may designate, as many
copies of the Prospectus as you may reasonably request, and (iii)
thereafter from time to time during the period in which a prospectus is
required by law to be delivered by an Underwriter or dealer, likewise send
to the Underwriters as many additional copies of the Prospectus and as many
copies of any supplement to the Prospectus and of any amended prospectus,
filed by the Company with the Commission, as you may reasonably request for
the purposes contemplated by the Securities Act.
(d) If at any time during the period in which a prospectus is required
by law to be delivered by an Underwriter or dealer any event relating to or
affecting the Company, or of which the Company shall be advised in writing
by you, shall occur as a result of which it is necessary, in the opinion of
counsel for the Company or of counsel for the Underwriters, to supplement
or amend the Prospectus in order to make the Prospectus not misleading in
the light of the circumstances existing at the time it is delivered to a
purchaser of the Stock, the Company will forthwith prepare and file with
the Commission a supplement to the Prospectus or an amended prospectus so
that the Prospectus as so supplemented or amended will not contain any
untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact
necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the
circumstances existing at the time such Prospectus is delivered to such
purchaser, not misleading. If, after the initial public offering of the
Stock by the Underwriters and during such period, the Underwriters shall
propose to vary the terms of offering thereof by reason of changes in
general market conditions or otherwise, you will advise the Company in
writing of the proposed variation, and, if in the opinion either of counsel
for the Company or of counsel for the Underwriters such proposed variation
requires that the Prospectus be supplemented or amended, the Company will
forthwith prepare and file with the Commission a supplement to the
Prospectus or an amended prospectus setting forth such variation. The
Company authorizes the Underwriters and all dealers to whom any of the
Stock may be sold by the several Underwriters to use the Prospectus, as
from time to time amended or supplemented, in connection with the sale of
the Stock in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Securities
Act and the applicable rules and regulations thereunder for such period.
(e) Prior to the filing thereof with the Commission, the Company will
submit to you, for your information, a copy of any post-effective amendment
to the Registration Statement and any supplement to the Prospectus or any
amended prospectus proposed to be filed.
(f) The Company will cooperate, when and as requested by you, in the
qualification of the Stock for offer and sale under the securities or blue
sky laws of such jurisdictions as you may designate and, during the period
in which a prospectus is required by law to be delivered by an Underwriter
or dealer, in keeping such qualifications in good standing under said
securities or blue sky laws; provided, however, that the Company shall not
be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to
qualify as a foreign corporation in any jurisdiction in which it is not so
qualified. The Company will, from time to time, prepare and file such
statements, reports, and other documents as are or may be required to
continue such qualifications in effect for so long a period as you may
reasonably request for distribution of the Stock.
(g) During a period of five years commencing with the date hereof, the
Company will furnish to you, and to each Underwriter who may so request in
writing, copies of all periodic and special reports furnished to
stockholders of the Company and of all information, documents and reports
filed with the Commission.
(h) Not later than the 45th day following the end of the fiscal
quarter first occurring after the first anniversary of the Effective Date,
the Company will make generally available to its security holders an
earnings statement in accordance with Section 11(a) of the Securities Act
and Rule 158 thereunder.
(i) The Company agrees to pay all costs and expenses incident to the
performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including all costs
and expenses incident to (i) the preparation, printing and filing with the
Commission and the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. of the
Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, (ii)
the furnishing to the Underwriters of copies of any Preliminary Prospectus
and of the several documents required by paragraph (c) of this Section 6 to
be so furnished, (iii) the printing of this Agreement and related documents
delivered to the Underwriters, (iv) the preparation, printing and filing of
all supplements and amendments to the Prospectus referred to in paragraph
(d) of this Section 6, (v) the furnishing to you and the Underwriters of
the reports and information referred to in paragraph (g) of this Section 6
and (vi) the printing and issuance of stock certificates, including the
transfer agent's fees.
(j) The Company agrees to reimburse you, for the account of the
several Underwriters, for blue sky fees and related disbursements
(including counsel fees and disbursements and cost of printing
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memoranda for the Underwriters) paid by or for the account of the
Underwriters or their counsel in qualifying the Stock under state
securities or blue sky laws and in the review of the offering by the NASD.
(k) The Company hereby agrees that, without the prior written consent
of Chase Securities Inc. on behalf of the Underwriters, the Company will
not, for a period of 180 days following the commencement of the public
offering of the Stock by the Underwriters, directly or indirectly, (i)
sell, offer, contract to sell, make any short sale, pledge, sell any option
or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any
option, right or warrant to purchase or otherwise transfer or dispose of
any shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or
exchangeable or exercisable for or any rights to purchase or acquire Common
Stock or (ii) enter into any swap or other agreement that transfers, in
whole or in part, any of the economic consequences or ownership of Common
Stock, whether any such transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above
is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in
cash or otherwise. The foregoing sentence shall not apply to (A) the Stock
to be sold to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, (B) shares of
Common Stock issued by the Company upon the exercise of options granted
under the stock option plans of the Company (the "Option Plans") or upon
the exercise of warrants outstanding as of the date hereof, all as
described under the caption "Capitalization" in the Preliminary Prospectus,
and (C) options to purchase Common Stock granted under the Option Plans,
provided that, without the prior written consent of Chase Securities Inc.,
such options shall not be exercisable during such 180-day period.
(l) The Company agrees to use its best efforts to cause all
stockholders to agree that, without the prior written consent of Chase
Securities Inc. on behalf of the Underwriters, such person or entity will
not, for a period of 180 days following the commencement of the public
offering of the Stock by the Underwriters, directly or indirectly, (i)
sell, offer, contract to sell, make any short sale, pledge, sell any option
or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any
option, right or warrant to purchase or otherwise transfer or dispose of
any shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or
exchangeable or exercisable for or any rights to purchase or acquire Common
Stock or (ii) enter into any swap or other agreement that transfers, in
whole or in part, any of the economic consequences or ownership of Common
Stock, whether any such transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above
is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in
cash or otherwise. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, (x) up to 10%
of the shares covered by this clause (l) shall be subject to early release
on the date 90 days after the date of the Prospectus if the last reported
sale price of the Stock on the Nasdaq National Market is greater than twice
the initial public offering price per share for 20 of the 30 consecutive
trading days prior to such date and (y) up to 20% of the shares covered by
this clause (l) shall be subject to early release on the second trading day
following the date that the Company releases its earnings for the year
ended December 31, 2000 if the last reported sale price of the Stock on the
Nasdaq National Market is greater than twice the initial public offering
price for 20 of the 30 consecutive trading days prior to such date;
provided that such early releases shall be subject to the blackout periods
-------- ----
set forth in the lock-up agreements to be signed by each stockholder.
(m) If at any time during the 25-day period after the Registration
Statement becomes effective any rumor, publication or event relating to or
affecting the Company shall occur as a result of which in your opinion the
market price for the Stock has been or is likely to be materially affected
(regardless of whether such rumor, publication or event necessitates a
supplement to or amendment of the Prospectus), the Company will, after
written notice from you advising the Company to the effect set forth above,
to the extent practicable under the circumstances, consult with you in good
faith concerning the substance of the decision whether or not to
disseminate a press release or other public statement responding to or
commenting on such rumor, publication or event, it being understood that
the decision as to whether or not to disseminate any such press release or
other public statement, the timing thereof and the substance thereof shall
be within the sole and absolute discretion of the Company; it being further
understood that nothing set forth in this paragraph shall require the
Company to delay dissemination of any press release or other public
statement in a manner that would violate applicable securities law or the
requirements of the Nasdaq National Market.
(n) The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and
sale of the Stock, will not be an "investment company" or a company
"controlled" by an "investment company" within the meaning of the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules and regulations
thereunder.
7. Indemnification and Contribution.
(a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter and
each person (including each partner or officer thereof) who controls any
Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act from and
against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to
which such indemnified parties or any of them may become subject under the
Securities Act, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (herein called
the Exchange Act), or the common law or otherwise, and the Company agrees to
7
<PAGE>
reimburse each such Underwriter and controlling person for any legal or other
expenses (including, except as otherwise hereinafter provided, reasonable fees
and disbursements of counsel) incurred by the respective indemnified parties in
connection with defending against any such losses, claims, damages or
liabilities or in connection with any investigation or inquiry of, or other
proceeding which may be brought against, the respective indemnified parties, in
each case arising out of or based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement
(including the Prospectus as part thereof and any Rule 462(b) registration
statement) or any post-effective amendment thereto (including any Rule 462(b)
registration statement), 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, or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement
of a material fact contained in any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus (as
amended or as supplemented if the Company shall have filed with the Commission
any amendment thereof or supplement thereto) or the omission or alleged omission
to state therein a material fact necessary in order to make the statements
therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading; provided, however, that (1) the indemnity agreements of the Company
contained in this paragraph (a) shall not apply to any such losses, claims,
damages, liabilities or expenses if such statement or omission was made in
reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished as herein stated or
otherwise furnished in writing to the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter
for use in any Preliminary Prospectus or the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus or any such amendment thereof or supplement thereto and (2) the
indemnity agreement contained in this paragraph (a) with respect to any
Preliminary Prospectus shall not inure to the benefit of any Underwriter from
whom the person asserting any such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or
expenses purchased the Stock which is the subject thereof (or to the benefit of
any person controlling such Underwriter) if at or prior to the written
confirmation of the sale of such Stock a copy of the Prospectus (or the
Prospectus as amended or supplemented) was not sent or delivered to such person
and the untrue statement or omission of a material fact contained in such
Preliminary Prospectus was corrected in the Prospectus (or the Prospectus as
amended or supplemented) unless the failure is the result of noncompliance by
the Company with paragraph (c) of Section 6 hereof. The indemnity agreements of
the Company contained in this paragraph (a) and the representations and
warranties of the Company contained in Section 2 hereof shall remain operative
and in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on
behalf of any indemnified party and shall survive the delivery of and payment
for the Stock.
(b) Each Underwriter severally agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the
Company, each of its officers who signs the Registration Statement on his own
behalf or pursuant to a power of attorney, each of its directors, each other
Underwriter and each person (including each partner or officer thereof) who
controls the Company or any such other Underwriter within the meaning of Section
15 of the Securities Act, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages
or liabilities, joint or several, to which such indemnified parties or any of
them may become subject under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, or the
common law or otherwise and to reimburse each of them for any legal or other
expenses (including, except as otherwise hereinafter provided, reasonable fees
and disbursements of counsel) incurred by the respective indemnified parties in
connection with defending against any such losses, claims, damages or
liabilities or in connection with any investigation or inquiry of, or other
proceeding which may be brought against, the respective indemnified parties, in
each case arising out of or based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement
(including the Prospectus as part thereof and any Rule 462(b) registration
statement) or any post-effective amendment thereto (including any Rule 462(b)
registration statement) 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 or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement
of a material fact contained in the Prospectus (as amended or as supplemented if
the Company shall have filed with the Commission any amendment thereof or
supplement thereto) or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a
material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of
the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, if such statement
or omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with information
furnished as herein stated or otherwise furnished in writing to the Company by
or on behalf of such indemnifying Underwriter for use in the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus or any such amendment thereof or supplement thereto.
The indemnity agreement of each Underwriter contained in this paragraph (b)
shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of any
investigation made by or on behalf of any indemnified party and shall survive
the delivery of and payment for the Stock.
(c) Each party indemnified under the provision of paragraphs (a) and (b) of
this Section 7 agrees that, upon the service of a summons or other initial legal
process upon it in any action or suit instituted against it or upon its receipt
of written notification of the commencement of any investigation or inquiry of,
or proceeding against, it in respect of which indemnity may be sought on account
of any indemnity agreement contained in such paragraphs, it will promptly give
written notice (herein called the Notice) of such service or notification to the
party or parties from whom indemnification may be sought hereunder. No
indemnification provided for in such paragraphs shall be available to any party
who shall fail so to give the Notice if the party to whom such Notice was not
given was unaware of the action, suit, investigation, inquiry or proceeding to
which the Notice would have related and was prejudiced by the failure to give
the Notice, but the omission so to notify such indemnifying party or parties of
any such service or notification shall not relieve such indemnifying party or
parties from any liability which it or they may have to the indemnified party
for contribution or otherwise than on account of such indemnity agreement. Any
indemnifying party shall be entitled at its own expense to participate in the
defense of
8
<PAGE>
any action, suit or proceeding against, or investigation or inquiry of, an
indemnified party. Any indemnifying party shall be entitled, if it so elects
within a reasonable time after receipt of the Notice by giving written notice
(herein called the Notice of Defense) to the indemnified party, to assume (alone
or in conjunction with any other indemnifying party or parties) the entire
defense of such action, suit, investigation, inquiry or proceeding, in which
event such defense shall be conducted, at the expense of the indemnifying party
or parties, by counsel chosen by such indemnifying party or parties and
reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party or parties; provided, however,
that (i) if the indemnified party or parties reasonably determine that there may
be a conflict between the positions of the indemnifying party or parties and of
the indemnified party or parties in conducting the defense of such action, suit,
investigation, inquiry or proceeding or that there may be legal defenses
available to such indemnified party or parties different from or in addition to
those available to the indemnifying party or parties, then counsel for the
indemnified party or parties shall be entitled to conduct the defense to the
extent reasonably determined by such counsel to be necessary to protect the
interests of the indemnified party or parties and (ii) in any event, the
indemnified party or parties shall be entitled to have counsel chosen by such
indemnified party or parties participate in, but not conduct, the defense. If,
within a reasonable time after receipt of the Notice, an indemnifying party
gives a Notice of Defense and the counsel chosen by the indemnifying party or
parties is reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party or parties, the
indemnifying party or parties will not be liable under paragraphs (a) through
(c) of this Section 7 for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by
the indemnified party or parties in connection with the defense of the action,
suit, investigation, inquiry or proceeding, except that (A) the indemnifying
party or parties shall bear the legal and other expenses incurred in connection
with the conduct of the defense as referred to in clause (i) of the proviso to
the preceding sentence and (B) the indemnifying party or parties shall bear such
other expenses as it or they have authorized to be incurred by the indemnified
party or parties. If, within a reasonable time after receipt of the Notice, no
Notice of Defense has been given, the indemnifying party or parties shall be
responsible for any legal or other expenses incurred by the indemnified party or
parties in connection with the defense of the action, suit, investigation,
inquiry or proceeding.
(d) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 7 is unavailable or
insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under paragraph (a) or (b) of
this Section 7, then each indemnifying party, in lieu of indemnifying such
indemnified party, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such
indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities
referred to in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section 7 (i) in such proportion as
is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by each indemnifying
party from the offering of the Stock or (ii) if the allocation provided by
clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is
appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i)
above but also the relative fault of each indemnifying party in connection with
the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or
liabilities, or actions in respect thereof, as well as any other relevant
equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company and the
Underwriters shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the
total net proceeds from the offering of the Stock received by the Company and
the total underwriting discount received by the Underwriters, as set forth in
the table on the cover page of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate public
offering price of the Stock. Relative fault shall be determined by reference
to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a
material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact
relates to information supplied by each indemnifying party and the parties'
relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or
prevent such untrue statement or omission.
The parties agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions
pursuant to this paragraph (d) were to be determined by pro rata allocation
(even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any
other method of allocation which does not take into account the equitable
considerations referred to in the first sentence of this paragraph (d). The
amount paid by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages
or liabilities, or actions in respect thereof, referred to in the first sentence
of this paragraph (d) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses
reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigation,
preparing to defend or defending against any action or claim which is the
subject of this paragraph (d). Notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph
(d), no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the
underwriting discount applicable to the Stock purchased by such Underwriter. 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 Underwriters'
obligations in this paragraph (d) to contribute are several in proportion to
their respective underwriting obligations and not joint.
Each party entitled to contribution agrees that upon the service of a
summons or other initial legal process upon it in any action instituted against
it in respect of which contribution may be sought, it will promptly give written
notice of such service to the party or parties from whom contribution may be
sought, but the omission so to notify such party or parties of any such service
shall not relieve the party from whom contribution may be sought from any
obligation it may have hereunder or otherwise (except as specifically provided
in paragraph (c) of this Section 7).
(e) The Company will not, without the prior written consent of each
Underwriter, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment in any
pending or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding
9
<PAGE>
in respect of which indemnification may be sought hereunder (whether or not such
Underwriter or any person who controls such Underwriter within the meaning of
Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act is a party to
such claim, action, suit or proceeding) unless such settlement, compromise or
consent includes an unconditional release of such Underwriter and each such
controlling person from all liability arising out of such claim, action, suit or
proceeding.
8. Termination. This Agreement may be terminated by you at any time
prior to the Closing Date by giving written notice to the Company if after the
date of this Agreement trading in the Common Stock shall have been suspended, or
if there shall have occurred (i) the engagement in hostilities or an escalation
of major hostilities by the United States or the declaration of war or a
national emergency by the United States on or after the date hereof, (ii) any
outbreak of hostilities or other national or international calamity or crisis or
change in economic or political conditions if the effect of such outbreak,
calamity, crisis or change in economic or political conditions in the financial
markets of the United States would, in the Underwriters' reasonable judgment,
make the offering or delivery of the Stock impracticable, (iii) suspension of
trading in securities generally or a material adverse decline in value of
securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock
Exchange, The Nasdaq National Market, or limitations on prices (other than
limitations on hours or numbers of days of trading) for securities on either
such exchange or system, (iv) the enactment, publication, decree or other
promulgation of any federal or state statute, regulation, rule or order of, or
commencement of any proceeding or investigation by, any court, legislative body,
agency or other governmental authority which in the Underwriters' reasonable
opinion materially and adversely affects or will materially or adversely affect
the business or operations of the Company, (v) declaration of a banking
moratorium by either federal or New York State authorities or (vi) the taking of
any action by any federal, state or local government or agency in respect of its
monetary or fiscal affairs which in the Underwriters' reasonable opinion has a
material adverse effect on the securities markets in the United States. If this
Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to this Section 8, there shall be no
liability of the Company to the Underwriters and no liability of the
Underwriters to the Company; provided, however, that in the event of any such
termination the Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriters
from all costs or expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the
Company under this Agreement, including all costs and expenses referred to in
paragraphs (i) and (j) of Section 6 hereof.
9. Conditions of Underwriters' Obligations. The obligations of the
several Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Stock shall be subject to the
performance by the Company of all its obligations to be performed hereunder at
or prior to the Closing Date or any later date on which Option Stock is to be
purchased, as the case may be, and to the following further conditions:
(a) The Registration Statement shall have become effective; and no
stop order suspending the effectiveness thereof shall have been issued and
no proceedings therefor shall be pending or threatened by the Commission.
(b) The legality and sufficiency of the sale of the Stock hereunder
and the validity and form of the certificates representing the Stock, all
corporate proceedings and other legal matters incident to the foregoing,
and the form of the Registration Statement and of the Prospectus (except as
to the financial statements contained therein), shall have been approved at
or prior to the Closing Date by , counsel for the
Underwriters.
(c) You shall have received from Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati,
counsel for the Company, an opinion, addressed to the Underwriters and
dated the Closing Date, covering the matters set forth in Annex A hereto,
and if Option Stock is purchased at any date after the Closing Date, an
additional opinion from such counsel, addressed to the Underwriters and
dated such later date, confirming that the statements expressed as of the
Closing Date in such opinion remain valid as of such later date.
(d) You shall be satisfied that (i) as of the Effective Date, the
statements made in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus were true
and correct and neither the Registration Statement nor the Prospectus
omitted to state any material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary in order to make the statements therein, respectively, not
misleading, (ii) since the Effective Date, no event has occurred which
should have been set forth in a supplement or amendment to the Prospectus
which has not been set forth in such a supplement or amendment, (iii) since
the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration
Statement in the form in which it originally became effective and the
Prospectus contained therein, there has not been any material adverse
change or any development involving a prospective material adverse change
in or affecting the business, properties, financial condition or results of
operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, whether
or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, and,
since such dates, except in the ordinary course of business, neither the
Company nor any of its subsidiaries has entered into any material
transaction not referred to in the Registration Statement in the form in
which it originally became effective and the Prospectus contained therein,
(iv) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has any material
contingent obligations which are not disclosed in the Registration
Statement and the
10
<PAGE>
Prospectus, (v) there are not any pending or known threatened legal
proceedings to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or
of which property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is the subject
which are material and which are not disclosed in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus, (vi) there are not any franchises, contracts,
leases or other documents which are required to be filed as exhibits to the
Registration Statement which have not been filed as required, (vii) the
representations and warranties of the Company herein are true and correct
in all material respects as of the Closing Date or any later date on which
Option Stock is to be purchased, as the case may be, and (viii) there has
not been any material change in the market for securities in general or in
political, financial or economic conditions from those reasonably
foreseeable as to render it impracticable in your reasonable judgment to
make a public offering of the Stock, or a material adverse change in market
levels for securities in general (or those of companies in particular) or
financial or economic conditions which render it inadvisable to proceed.
(e) You shall have received on the Closing Date and on any later date
on which Option Stock is purchased a certificate, dated the Closing Date or
such later date, as the case may be, and signed by the Chief Executive
Officer and the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, stating that the
respective signers of said certificate have examined the Registration
Statement in the form in which it originally became effective and the
Prospectus contained therein and any supplements or amendments thereto, and
that the statements included in clauses (i) through (vii) of paragraph (d)
of this Section 9 are true and correct.
(f) You shall have received from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, a letter
or letters, addressed to the Underwriters and dated the Closing Date and
any later date on which Option Stock is purchased, confirming that they are
independent public accountants with respect to the Company within the
meaning of the Securities Act and the applicable published rules and
regulations thereunder and based upon the procedures described in their
letter delivered to you concurrently with the execution of this Agreement
(herein called the Original Letter), but carried out to a date not more
than three business days prior to the Closing Date or such later date on
which Option Stock is purchased (i) confirming, to the extent true, that
the statements and conclusions set forth in the Original Letter are
accurate as of the Closing Date or such later date, as the case may be, and
(ii) setting forth any revisions and additions to the statements and
conclusions set forth in the Original Letter which are necessary to reflect
any changes in the facts described in the Original Letter since the date of
the Original Letter or to reflect the availability of more recent financial
statements, data or information. The letters shall not disclose any
change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting
the business or properties of the Company or any of its subsidiaries which,
in your sole judgment, makes it impractical or inadvisable to proceed with
the public offering of the Stock or the purchase of the Option Stock as
contemplated by the Prospectus.
(g) You shall have received from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, a letter
stating that their review of the Company's system of internal accounting
controls, to the extent they deemed necessary in establishing the scope of
their examination of the Company's financial statements as at ______, 2000,
did not disclose any weakness in internal controls that they considered to
be material weaknesses.
(h) You shall have been furnished evidence in usual written or
telegraphic form from the appropriate authorities of the several
jurisdictions, or other evidence satisfactory to you, of the qualification
referred to in paragraph (f) of Section 6 hereof.
(i) Prior to the Closing Date, the Stock to be issued and sold by the
Company shall have been duly authorized for quotation on the Nasdaq
National Market upon official notice of issuance.
(j) On or prior to the Closing Date, you shall have received from all
stockholders agreements, in form reasonably satisfactory to Chase
Securities Inc., stating that without the prior written consent of Chase
Securities Inc. on behalf of the Underwriters, such person or entity will
not, for a period of 180 days following the commencement of the public
offering of the Stock by the Underwriters, directly or indirectly, (i)
sell, offer, contract to sell, make any short sale, pledge, sell any option
or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any
option, right or warrant to purchase or otherwise transfer or dispose of
any shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or
exchangeable or exercisable for or any rights to purchase or acquire Common
Stock or (ii) enter into any swap or other agreement that transfers, in
whole or in part, any of the economic consequences or ownership of Common
Stock, whether any such transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above
is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in
cash or otherwise. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, (x) up to 10% of
the shares covered by this clause (j) shall be subject to early release on
the date 90 days after the date of the Prospectus if the last reported sale
price of the Stock on the Nasdaq National Market is greater than twice the
initial public offering price per share for 20 of the 30 consecutive
trading days prior to such date and (y) up to 20% of the shares covered by
this clause (j) shall be subject to early release on the second trading day
following the date that the Company releases its
11
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earnings for the year ended December 31, 2000 if the last reported sale
price of the Stock on the Nasdaq National Market is greater than twice the
initial public offering price for 20 of the 30 consecutive trading days
prior to such date; provided that such early releases shall be subject to
-------- ----
the blackout periods set forth in the lock-up agreements to be signed by
each stockholder.
All the agreements, opinions, certificates and letters mentioned above or
elsewhere in this Agreement shall be deemed to be in compliance with the
provisions hereof only if Sullivan and Cromwell, counsel for the Underwriters,
shall be satisfied that they comply in form and scope.
In case any of the conditions specified in this Section 9 shall not be
fulfilled, this Agreement may be terminated by you by giving notice to the
Company. Any such termination shall be without liability of the Company to the
Underwriters and without liability of the Underwriters to the Company; provided,
however, that (i) in the event of such termination, the Company agrees to
indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriters from all costs or expenses incident
to the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement,
including all costs and expenses referred to in paragraphs (i) and (j) of
Section 6 hereof, and (ii) if this Agreement is terminated by you because of any
refusal, inability or failure on the part of the Company to perform any
agreement herein, to fulfill any of the conditions herein, or to comply with any
provision hereof other than by reason of a default by any of the Underwriters,
the Company will reimburse the Underwriters severally upon demand for all out-
of-pocket expenses (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel) that
shall have been incurred by them in connection with the transactions
contemplated hereby.
10. Conditions of the Obligation of the Company. The obligation of the
Company to deliver the Stock shall be subject to the conditions that (a) the
Registration Statement shall have become effective and (b) no stop order
suspending the effectiveness thereof shall be in effect and no proceedings
therefor shall be pending or threatened by the Commission.
In case either of the conditions specified in this Section 10 shall not be
fulfilled, this Agreement may be terminated by the Company by giving notice to
you. Any such termination shall be without liability of the Company to the
Underwriters and without liability of the Underwriters to the Company; provided,
however, that in the event of any such termination the Company agrees to
indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriters from all costs or expenses incident
to the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement,
including all costs and expenses referred to in paragraphs (i) and (j) of
Section 6 hereof.
11. Reimbursement of Certain Expenses. In addition to its other
obligations under Section 7 of this Agreement, the Company hereby agrees to
reimburse on a quarterly basis the Underwriters for all reasonable legal and
other expenses incurred in connection with investigating or defending any claim,
action, investigation, inquiry or other proceeding arising out of or based upon
any statement or omission, or any alleged statement or omission, described in
paragraph (a) of Section 7 of this Agreement, notwithstanding the absence of a
judicial determination as to the propriety and enforceability of the obligations
under this Section 11 and the possibility that such payments might later be held
to be improper; provided, however, that (i) to the extent any such payment is
-----------------
ultimately held to be improper, the persons receiving such payments shall
promptly refund them and (ii) such persons shall provide to the Company, upon
request, reasonable assurances of their ability to effect any refund, when and
if due.
12. Persons Entitled to Benefit of Agreement. This Agreement shall inure
to the benefit of the Company and the several Underwriters and, with respect to
the provisions of Section 7 hereof, the several parties (in addition to the
Company and the several Underwriters) indemnified under the provisions of said
Section 7, and their respective personal representatives, successors and
assigns. Nothing in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give to
any other person, firm or corporation any legal or equitable remedy or claim
under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision herein contained. The
term "successors and assigns" as herein used shall not include any purchaser, as
such purchaser, of any of the Stock from any of the several Underwriters.
13. Notices. Except as otherwise provided herein, all communications
hereunder shall be in writing or by telegraph and, if to the Underwriters, shall
be mailed, telegraphed or delivered to Chase Securities Inc., One Bush Street,
San Francisco, California 94104; and if to the Company, shall be mailed,
telegraphed or delivered to it at its office, 100 Pine Street, Suite 1100, San
Francisco, California 94111, Attention: Nick Grouf. All notices given by
telegraph shall be promptly confirmed by letter.
14. Miscellaneous. The reimbursement, indemnification and contribution
agreements contained in this Agreement and the representations, warranties and
covenants in this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect regardless of
(a) any termination of this Agreement, (b) any investigation made by or on
behalf of any Underwriter or controlling person thereof, or by or on behalf of
the Company or their respective directors or officers, and (c) delivery and
payment for the Stock under this Agreement; provided, however, that if this
-----------------
Agreement is terminated prior to the Closing Date, the provisions of paragraphs
(k) and (l) of Section 6 hereof shall be of no further force or effect.
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<PAGE>
This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which
shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and
the same instrument.
This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the
laws of the State of California.
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<PAGE>
Please sign and return to the Company the enclosed duplicates of this
letter, whereupon this letter will become a binding agreement between the
Company and the several Underwriters in accordance with its terms.
Very truly yours,
PEOPLE PC, INC.
By __________________________
Nick Grouf
Chief Executive Officer
The foregoing Agreement is hereby confirmed
and accepted as of the date first above written.
CHASE SECURITIES INC.
FLEET BOSTON ROBERTSON STEPHENS INC.
J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES INC.
PRUDENTIAL SECURITIES INCORPORATED
By Chase Securities Inc.
By __________________________
Managing Director
Acting on behalf of the several Underwriters,
including themselves, named in Schedule I hereto.
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SCHEDULE I
UNDERWRITERS
Number of Shares
Underwriters to be Purchased
------------ ---------------
Chase Securities Inc. ...............................
FleetBoston Robertson Stephens Inc. .................
J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. .........................
Prudential Securities Incorporated...................
Total........................................... 11,500,000
15
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ANNEX A
Matters to be Covered in the Opinion of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Counsel for the Company
(i) The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a
corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its
incorporation, is duly qualified as a foreign corporation and in good standing
in each state of the United States of America in which its ownership or leasing
of property required such qualification (except where the failure to be so
qualified would not have a material adverse effect on the business, properties,
financial condition or results of operations of the Company and its
subsidiaries, taken as a whole) (such counsel being entitled to rely in respect
of its opinion regarding foreign corporation qualification and good standing
upon opinions of local counsel and in respect of matters of fact upon
certificates of officers of the Company, provided that such counsel shall state
that they believe that both you and they are justified in relying upon such
opinions and certificates), and has full corporate power and authority to own or
lease its properties and conduct its business as described in the Registration
Statement.
(ii) the Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus as of the date set forth therein;
proper corporate proceedings have been taken validly to authorize such
authorized capital stock; all of the outstanding shares of such capital stock
(including the Underwritten Stock and the share of Option Stock issued, if any)
have been duly and validly issued and are fully paid and nonassessable; any
Option Stock purchased after the Closing Date, when issued and delivered to and
paid for by the Underwriters as provided in the Underwriting Agreement, will
have been duly and validly issued and be fully paid and nonassessable; and no
preemptive rights of, or rights of refusal in favor of, stockholders exist with
respect to the Stock, or the issue and sale thereof, pursuant to the Certificate
of Incorporation of By-laws of the Company and, to the knowledge of such
counsel, there are no contractual preemptive rights that have not been waived,
rights of first refusal or rights of co-sale which exist with respect to the
issue and sale of the Stock.
(iii) the Registration Statement has become effective under the Securities
Act and, to the best of such counsel's knowledge, no stop order suspending the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement or suspending or preventing the use
of the Prospectus is in effect and no proceedings for that purpose have been
instituted or are pending or contemplated by the Commission.
(iv) All holders of securities of the Company having rights to the
registration of Common Stock or other securities because of the filing of the
Registration Statement by the Company have waived such rights or such rights
have expired by reason of lapse of time following notification of the Company's
intent to file the Registration Statement.
(v) To such counsel's knowledge and other than as set forth in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental
proceedings pending to which the Company is a party or of which any property of
the Company is the subject which, if determined adversely to the Company, would
individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect; and, to such
counsel's knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by
governmental authorities or threatened by others.
(vi) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by
the Company.
(vii) Except for such breaches and violations as would not prevent the
fulfillment by the Company of its obligations hereunder or such breaches and
violations as could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse
Effect, the issue and sale of the Stock and the consummation of the transaction
contemplated in the Underwriting Agreement by the Company and the compliance by
the Company with all of the provisions of this Agreement and the consummation of
the transactions herein contemplated will not conflict with or result in a
breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a
default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other
agreement or instrument, filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the
"Material Agreements") nor will such action result in any violation of the
provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws of the Company or any
statute or any order, rule or regulation known to such counsel of any court or
governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its
properties (such counsel being entitled to rely in respect of the opinions in
this clause upon opinions of local counsel and in respect of matters of fact
upon certificates of officers of the Company, provided that such counsel shall
state that they believe that both you and they are justified in relying upon
such opinions and certificates).
(viii) No consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or
qualification of or with any such court or governmental agency or body is
required for the issue and sale of the Shares or the consummation by the Company
of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except the registration
under the Act of the Shares, and such consents, approvals, authorizations,
registrations or qualifications as may be required under state securities or
blue sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by
the Underwriters, the
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rules of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. and the rules of
any exchange or quotation system on which the stock may be listed or quoted.
(ix) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of
its Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws or in default in the performance or
observance of any material obligation, agreement, covenant or condition
contained in any Material Agreement (such counsel being entitled to rely in
respect of the opinions in this clause upon opinions of local counsel and in
respect of matters of fact upon certificates of officers of the Company,
provided that such counsel shall state that they believe that both you and they
are justified in relying upon such opinions and certificates).
(x) The Company is not an "investment company", as such term is defined in
the Investment Company Act.
(xi) The information required to be set forth in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus in answer to Items 9, 10 (insofar as it relates to
such counsel) and 11(c) of Form S-1, the description of the Company's stock
option plans and the options granted and which may be granted thereunder and the
options and warrants granted otherwise than under such plans set forth in the
Prospectus accurately and fairly presents the information required to be shown
with respect to said plans, options and warrants to the extent required by the
Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
(xiii) The Registration Statement and the Prospectus and any further
amendments and supplements thereto made by the Company prior to the date of this
opinion (other than the financial statements and related schedules therein, as
to which such counsel need express no opinion) comply as to form in all material
respects with the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations
thereunder; although they do not assume any responsibility for the accuracy,
completeness or fairness of the statements contained in the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus, except for those referred to in the opinion in
subsection (xi) of this Annex A, they have no reason to believe that, as of its
effective date, the Registration Statement or any further amendment thereto made
by the Company prior to the date of this opinion (other than the financial
statements and related schedules therein, as to which such counsel need express
no opinion) contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state
a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading or that, as of its date, the Prospectus or any
further amendment or supplement thereto made by the Company prior to the date of
this opinion (other than the financial statements and related schedules therein,
as to which such counsel need express no opinion) contained an untrue statement
of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading or that, as of the date of this opinion, either the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any further amendment or supplement
thereto made by the Company prior to the date of this opinion (other than the
financial statements and related schedules therein, as to which such counsel
need express no opinion) contains an untrue statement of a material fact or
omits to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the
light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and they
do not know of any amendment to the Registration Statement required to be filed
or of any contracts or other documents of a character required to be filed as an
exhibit to the Registration Statement or required to be described in the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus which are not filed or described as
required.
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