SOFTKEY INTERNATIONAL INC
S-8, 1995-08-18
PREPACKAGED SOFTWARE
Previous: EDWARDS A G INC, S-8, 1995-08-18
Next: FIGGIE INTERNATIONAL INC /DE/, SC 13D/A, 1995-08-18



                     SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                           WASHINGTON, DC 20549
           
                                 FORM S-8

                          REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                 UNDER
                        THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                        SOFTKEY INTERNATIONAL INC.
            (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

                                Delaware
       (State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)

                                94-2562108
                     (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

      One Athenaeum Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts   02142
      (Address of Principal Executive Offices)         (Zip Code)

                         SOFTKEY INTERNATIONAL INC.
                       LONG TERM EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
                          (Full Title of the Plan)

                               Michael J. Perik
                Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer 
                          SoftKey International Inc.
               One Athenaeum Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts  02142

                      (Name and Address of Agent for Service)

                               (617) 494-1200
          Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent for Service

                          CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
   
                                   Proposed   Proposed
 Title of Securities   Amount      Maximum    Maximum         
    to be              to be       Offering   Aggregate         Amount of
 Registered          Registered    Price Per  Offering Price  Registration
                                   Share(1)          (1)          Fee
                                                        
Common Stock, par      450,000     $46.1875   $20,784,375.00    $7,167.03
value $.01 per share    shares

   (1)  Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration
   fee pursuant to paragraphs (c) and (h) of Rule 457 under the
   Securities Act of 1933, as amended, based on the average of the
   high and low prices per share of the Registrant's Common Stock
   reported on the Nasdaq National Market on August 15, 1995.


                        PART II

   ITEM 3.  INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE.

   There is incorporated herein by reference (i) the
   Annual Report on Form 10-K of SoftKey International Inc.
   (the "Registrant") (File No. 0-13069) for the fiscal year
   ended December 31, 1994, (ii) the Current Report on Form 8-K
   of the Registrant dated February 6, 1995, (iii) the Current
   Report on Form 8-K of the Registrant dated June 9, 1995,
   (iv) the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of the Registrant for
   the quarter ended April 1, 1995, (v) the Quarterly Report on
   Form 10-Q of the Registrant for the quarter ended July 1,
   1995, (vi) the description of the Registrant's Common Stock,
   par value $.01 per share (the "Common Stock"), contained in
   the Registrant's registration statement filed pursuant to
   Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
   amended (the "Exchange Act"), and (vii) any amendment or
   report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
   (the "Commission") for the purpose of updating such
   description. 

   All documents subsequently filed by the Registrant
   pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the
   Exchange Act, prior to the filing of a post-effective
   amendment which indicates that all securities offered have
   been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining
   unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in
   this Registration Statement and to be a part thereof from
   the date of filing of such documents.

   ITEM 4.  DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES.

   Not Applicable.

   ITEM 5.  INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL.

   The validity of the Common Stock offered hereby will be
   passed upon for the Registrant by Neal S. Winneg, General
   Counsel of the Registrant.  Mr. Winneg owns options to
   purchase an aggregate of 69,375 shares of Common Stock,
   which are or become exercisable in periodic installments
   through June 1998.

   ITEM 6.  INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.

   Section 102 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, as
   amended, allows a corporation to eliminate the personal
   liability of directors of a corporation to the corporation
   or to any of its stockholders for monetary damages for a
   breach of his fiduciary duty as a director, except in the
   case where the director breached his duty of loyalty, failed
   to act in good faith, engaged in intentional misconduct or
   knowingly violated a law, authorized the payment of a
   dividend or approved a stock repurchase in violation of
   Delaware corporate law or obtained an improper personal
   benefit.

   Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, as
   amended, provides that a corporation may indemnify any
   person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a
   party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit
   or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or
   investigative, by reason of the fact that he is or was a
   director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation or
   is or was serving at its request in such capacity in another
   corporation or business association against expenses
   (including attorney's fees), judgments, fines and amounts
   paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him
   in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if he
   acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed
   to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the
   corporation and, with respect to any criminal action or
   proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct
   was unlawful.  

   Section 8 of the Company's Restated Certificate of
   Incorporation provides for elimination of directors'
   personal liability and indemnification as follows:

   "8. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS

   8.1  ELIMINATION OF CERTAIN LIABILITIES OF DIRECTORS. 
   A director of the Corporation shall not be personally liable
   to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages
   for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for
   liability (i) for any breach of the directors' duty of
   loyalty to the Corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for
   acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve
   intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii)
   under Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law,
   or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived
   an improper personal benefit.  If the Delaware General
   Corporation Law is amended after approval by the
   stockholders of this Section to authorize corporate action
   further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of
   directors, then the liability of a director of the
   Corporation shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest
   extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, as
   so amended.  Any repeal or modification of this Section by
   the stockholders of the Corporation shall not adversely
   affect any right or protection of a director of the
   Corporation existing at the time of such repeal or
   modification.

   8.2       INDEMNIFICATION AND INSURANCE

        8.2.1      RIGHT TO INDEMNIFICATION.  Each person
   who was or is made a party or is threatened to be made a
   party to or is involved in any action, suit or proceeding,
   whether civil, criminal, administrative, or investigative
   (hereinafter a "proceeding"), by reason of the fact that he
   or she, or a person of whom he or she is the legal
   representative, is or was a director or officer, of the
   Corporation or is or was serving at the request of the
   Corporation, as a director, officer, employee, or agent of
   another corporation or of a partnership, joint venture,
   trust, or other enterprise, including service with respect
   to employee benefit plans, whether the basis of such
   proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a
   director, officer, employee, or agent or in any other
   capacity while serving as a director, officer, employee, or
   agent, shall be indemnified and held harmless by the
   Corporation to its fullest extent authorized by the Delaware
   General Corporation Law, as the same exists or may hereafter
   be amended (but, in the case of any such amendment, only to
   the extent that such amendment permits the Corporation to
   provide broader indemnification rights than said law
   permitted the Corporation to provide prior to such
   amendment), against all expense, liability, and loss
   (including attorneys' fees, judgments, fines, Employee
   Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 excise taxes or
   penalties, and amounts paid or to be paid in settlement)
   reasonably incurred or suffered by such person in connection
   therewith, and such indemnification shall continue as to a
   person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee,
   or agent and shall inure to the benefit of his or her heirs,
   executors, and administrators; provided, however, that the
   Corporation shall indemnify any such person seeking
   indemnification in connection with a proceeding (or part
   thereof) initiated by such person only if such proceeding
   (or part thereof) was authorized by the Board of Directors
   of the Corporation.  The right to indemnification conferred
   in this Section shall be a contract right and shall include
   the right to be paid by the Corporation the expenses
   incurred defending any such proceeding in advance of its
   final disposition; provided, however, that, if the Delaware
   General Corporation Law requires, the payment of such
   expenses incurred by a director or officer in his or her
   capacity as a director or officer (and not in any other
   capacity in which service was or is rendered by such person
   while a director or officer, including, without limitation,
   service to an employee benefit plan) in advance of the final
   disposition of a proceeding, shall be made only upon
   delivery to the Corporation of an undertaking, by or on
   behalf of such director or officer, to repay all amounts so
   advanced if it shall ultimately be determined that such
   director or officer is not entitled to be indemnified under
   this Section or otherwise.  The Corporation may, by action
   of its Board of Directors, provide indemnification to
   employees and agents of the Corporation with the same scope
   and effect as the foregoing indemnification of directors and
   officers.

        8.2.2 NON-EXCLUSIVITY OF RIGHTS.  The right to
   indemnification and the payment of expenses incurred in
   defending a proceeding in advance of its final disposition
   conferred in this Section shall not be exclusive of any
   other right which any person may have or hereafter acquire
   under any statute, provision of this Restated Certificate,
   Bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders, or disinterested
   directors or otherwise.

        8.2.3. INSURANCE.  The Corporation may maintain
   insurance, at its expense, to protect itself and any
   director, officer, employee, or agent of the Corporation or
   another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, or
   other enterprise against any such expense, liability or
   loss, whether or not the Corporation would have the power to
   indemnify such person against such expense, liability, or
   loss under the Delaware General Corporation Law."

   SoftKey has purchased directors' and officers'
   liability insurance which would indemnify the directors and
   officers of SoftKey against damages arising out of certain
   kinds of claims which might be made against them based on
   their negligent acts or omissions while acting in their
   capacity as such.

   ITEM 7.   EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED.

   Not Applicable.


   ITEM 8.   EXHIBITS.

   EXHIBIT
   NUMBER                        DESCRIPTION

   4.1*            Restated Certificate of Incorporation
                   of the Registrant

   4.2**           By-Laws of the Registrant, as amended

   5               Opinion of Neal S. Winneg, Esq.

   23.1            Consent of Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P.,
                   Independent Accountants

   23.2            Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP,
                   Independent Accountants

   23.3            Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP,
                   Independent Accountants

   23.4            Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP,
                   Independent Accountants

   23.5            Consent of Price Waterhouse LLP,
                   Independent Accountants

   23.6            Consent of Neal S. Winneg, Esq.
                   (contained in the opinion filed as
                   Exhibit 5 to this Registration
                   Statement)

   24              Power of Attorney (included on the
                   signature page of the Registration
                   Statement)

   *Incorporated herein by reference to exhibit filed with the
   Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly
   period ended July 1, 1995 (File No. 0-13069).

   **Incorporated herein by reference to exhibit filed with the
   Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-3 dated
   January 23, 1995 (File No. 33-88728).


   ITEM 9.  UNDERTAKINGS.

   The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

   1.   to file, during any period in which offers or
        sales are being made, a post-effective amendment
        to this registration statement:

        (i)    to include any prospectus required by
               Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of
               1933;

        (ii)   to reflect in the prospectus any facts or
               events arising after the effective date of
               the registration statement (or the most
               recent post-effective amendment thereof)
               which, individually or in the aggregate,
               represent a fundamental change in the
               information set forth in the registration
               statement;

        (iii)  to include any material information with
               respect to the plan of distribution not
               previously disclosed in the registration
               statement or any material change in the
               information set forth in the registration
               statement;

   2.   that, for the purpose of determining any liability
        under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-
        effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new
        registration statement relating to the securities
        offered therein, and the offering of such
        securities at that time shall be deemed to be the
        initial bona fide offering thereof; and

   3.   to remove from registration by means of a post-
        effective amendment any of the securities being
        registered which remain unsold at the termination
        of the offering.

   The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for
   purposes of determining any liability under the Securities
   Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant's annual report
   pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities
   Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of
   an employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to Section
   15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is
   incorporated by reference in the registration statement
   shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating
   to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such
   securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial
   bona fide offering thereof.

   Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising
   under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to
   directors, officers and controlling persons of the
   registrant pursuant to the provisions described under Item 6
   above, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in
   the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such
   indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the
   Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.  In the event that a
   claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other
   than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or
   paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the
   registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or
   proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or
   controlling person in connection with the securities being
   registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of
   its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling
   precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the
   question whether such indemnification by it is against
   public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed
   by the final adjudication of such issue.


                       SIGNATURES

   Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of
   1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable
   grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for
   filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
   Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,
   thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Cambridge,
   Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on August  17 , 1995.

                            SOFTKEY INTERNATIONAL INC.
                            Registrant

                            By:  /s/ Michael J. Perik     
                                 Michael J. Perik
                                 Chairman of the Board and
                                 Chief Executive Officer

   Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of
   1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below by
   the following persons in the capacities and on the dates
   indicated.  Each person whose signature appears below hereby
   authorizes Neal S. Winneg and R. Scott Murray and each of
   them, with full power of substitution, to execute in the
   name and on behalf of such person any amendment (including
   any post-effective amendment) to this Registration Statement
   and to file the same, with exhibits thereto, and other
   documents in connection therewith, making such changes in
   this Registration Statement as the person(s) so acting deems
   appropriate, and appoints each of such persons, each with
   full power of substitution, attorney-in-fact to sign any
   amendment (including any post-effective amendment) to this
   Registration Statement and to file the same, with exhibits
   thereto, and other documents in connection therewith.

        Name                Date         Title

   /s/ Michael J. Perik      8/17/95  Chairman of the Board and
   Michael J. Perik                   Chief Executive Officer
                                      (principal executive officer)

   /s/ R. Scott Murray       8/17/95  Chief Financial Officer
   R. Scott Murray                    (principal financial and
                                      accounting officer)

   /s/ Kevin O'Leary         8/17/95  President and Director
   Kevin O'Leary

   /s/ Michael Bell          8/17/95  Director
   Michael Bell

   /s/ Robert Gagnon         8/17/95  Director
   Robert Gagnon

   /s/ Robert Rubinoff       8/17/95  Director
   Robert Rubinoff

   /s/ Scott M. Sperling     8/17/95  Director
   Scott M. Sperling


                        EXHIBIT INDEX

   Exhibit
   Number                                         Page No.

   4.1*        Restated Certificate of               --
               Incorporation of the Registrant

   4.2**       By-Laws of the Registrant, as         --
               amended

   5           Opinion of Neal S. Winneg, Esq.       12

   23.1        Consent of Coopers & Lybrand          14
               L.L.P., Independent Accountants

   23.2        Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP,       15
               Independent Accountants

   23.3        Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP,     16
               Independent Accountants

   23.4        Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP,     17
               Independent Accountants

   23.5        Consent of Price Waterhouse LLP,      18
               Independent Accountants

   23.6        Consent of Neal S. Winneg, Esq.       --
               (contained in the opinion filed
               as Exhibit 5 to this Registration
               Statement)

   24          Power of Attorney (included on        --
               the signature page of the
               Registration Statement)

   *Incorporated herein by reference to exhibit filed with the
   Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly
   period ended July 1, 1995 (File No. 0-13069).

   **Incorporated herein by reference to exhibit filed with the
   Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-3 dated January 23,
   1995 (File No. 33-88728).


Exhibit 5

                                   August 18, 1995

SoftKey International Inc.
One Athenaeum Street
Cambridge, MA 02142

     Re:  Registration Statement on Form S-8

Ladies and Gentlemen:

     I am Vice President and General Counsel of SoftKey
International Inc., a Delaware corporation (the
"Company"), and am issuing this opinion in connection
with the Registration Statement on Form S-8 being filed
by the Company with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "Commission") on the date hereof (the
"Registration Statement") for the purpose of registering
with the Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the "1933 Act"), 450,000 shares (the "Shares")
of common stock of the Company, par value $.01 per share,
issuable upon the exercise of options granted under the
SoftKey International Inc. Long Term Equity Incentive
Plan (the "Plan") and pursuant to other Awards (as
defined in the Plan) which may be granted under the Plan.

     In this connection, I have examined and am familiar
with originals or copies, certified or otherwise
identified to my satisfaction, of (i) the Registration
Statement, (ii) the Plan, (iii) forms of Award Agreements
(as defined in the Plan), (iv) the Restated Certificate
of Incorporation and the Bylaws of the Company, as
amended, each as currently in effect, (v) certain
resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors of the
Company relating to the issuance of the Shares and
certain related matters, and such other documents,
certificates and records as I have deemed necessary or
appropriate as a basis for the opinions set forth herein. 
In such examination, I have assumed the genuineness of
all signatures, the legal capacity of natural persons,
the authenticity of all documents submitted to me as
originals, the conformity to original documents of all
documents submitted to me as certified, conformed or
photostatic copies and the authenticity of the originals
of such copies.  As to any facts material to the opinions
expressed herein which I have not independently
established or verified, I have relied upon statements
and representations of officers and other representatives
of the Company and others.

     I am admitted to the Bar of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts and do not purport to be an expert on, or
express any opinion concerning, any law other than the
substantive law of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

     Based upon and subject the foregoing, I am of the
opinion that the Shares have been duly authorized for
issuance and, when Shares have been paid for and
certificates therefor have been issued and delivered upon
exercise of options or pursuant to other Awards in
accordance with the terms of the Plan and the
corresponding Award Agreement as contemplated by the
Registration Statement, the Shares will be validly
issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

      I hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as
an exhibit to the Registration Statement.  In giving such
consent, I do not thereby admit that I am in the category
of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of
the 1933 Act or the rules and regulations of the
commission promulgated thereunder.

     This opinion is furnished by me, as counsel to the
Company, in connection with the filing of the
Registration Statement and, except as provided in the
immediately preceding paragraph, is not to be used,
circulated, quoted for any other purpose or otherwise
referred to or relied upon by any other person without
the express written permission of the Company.

                              Very truly yours,

                              /s/ Neal S. Winneg

                              Neal S. Winneg
                              General Counsel



Exhibit 23.1

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the
registration statement of SoftKey International Inc. on
Form S-8 of our report dated March 3, 1995, on our audit
of the consolidated financial statements and financial
statement schedule of SoftKey International Inc. as of
December 31, 1994 and for the year then ended, which
report is included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K.

                              /s/ Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P.

                              COOPERS & LYBRAND L.L.P.

Boston, Massachusetts
August 16, 1995



                                             EXHIBIT 23.2

        CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS

          As independent public accountants, we hereby
consent to the incorporation by reference in this
registration statement of our report dated January 16,
1995 included in SoftKey International Inc.'s Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 1994 and to all
references to our Firm included in this registration
statement.

                              /s/ Arthur Andersen LLP

                              ARTHUR ANDERSEN LLP

Boston, Massachusetts
August 17, 1995



                                             Exhibit 23.3

             CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS

The Board of Directors and Stockholders
SoftKey International Inc.
(formerly WordStar International Incorporated):

We consent to incorporation by reference in the
registration statement on Form S-8 of SoftKey
International Inc. of our report dated September 13,
1993, relating to the consolidated balance sheets of
WordStar International Incorporated and subsidiaries as
of June 30, 1993, and their related consolidated
statements of operations, stockholders' equity, and cash
flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended
June 30, 1993, and the related schedule, which report
appears in the December 31, 1994 annual report on Form
10-K of SoftKey International Inc.

                              /s/ KPMG Peat Marwick LLP

San Francisco, California
August 17, 1995



                                             Exhibit 23.4

              INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' CONSENT

We consent to the incorporation by reference in this
Registration Statement of SoftKey International Inc. on
Form S-8 of our report dated September 30, 1992 (except
for Note 12, for which the date is October 12, 1992)
(which report expresses an unqualified opinion and
includes an explanatory paragraph referring to an
uncertainty in connection with an arbitration proceeding)
relating to the financial statements of Spinnaker
Software Corporation (not presented separately therein)
appearing in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of SoftKey
International, Inc. for the year ended December 31, 1994.

/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP

DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP
Boston, Massachusetts
August 16, 1995



                                             Exhibit 23.5

            CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS

We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in
the Registration Statement on Form S-8 of our report
dated September 28, 1993, except as to Note 12, which is
as of December 3, 1993, appearing on page 27 of SoftKey
International Inc.'s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 1994.

/s/ Price Waterhouse LLP

Price Waterhouse LLP
Boston, Massachusetts
August 17, 1995




© 2022 IncJournal is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission