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Exhibit 10.3
REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
THIS REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT, dated as of July 19, 2000,
between Wanquay Limited ("Purchaser"), and AmeriQuest Technologies, Inc. (the
"Company").
WHEREAS, simultaneously with the execution and delivery of
this Agreement, pursuant to a Common Stock Purchase Agreement dated the date
hereof (the "Purchase Agreement") the Purchaser has committed to purchase up to
$13,500,000 of the Company's Common Stock (terms not defined herein shall have
the meanings ascribed to them in the Purchase Agreement); and
WHEREAS, the Company desires to grant to the Purchaser the
registration rights set forth herein with respect to the Shares, including the
Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants from time to time (hereinafter
referred to collectively as the "Securities").
NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereto mutually agree as follows:
Section 1. Registrable Securities. As used herein the term
"Registrable Security" means the Securities until (i) all Securities have been
disposed of pursuant to the Registration Statement, (ii) all Securities have
been sold under circumstances under which all of the applicable conditions of
Rule 144 (or any similar provision then in force) under the Securities Act
("Rule 144") are met, (iii) all Securities have been otherwise transferred to
persons who may trade such Securities without restriction under the Securities
Act, and the Company has delivered a new certificate or other evidence of
ownership for such Securities not bearing a restrictive legend or (iv) such time
as, in the opinion of counsel to the Company, all Securities may be sold without
any time, volume or manner limitations pursuant to Rule 144(k) (or any similar
provision then in effect) under the Securities Act. The term "Registrable
Securities" means any and/or all of the securities falling within the foregoing
definition of a "Registrable Security." In the event of any merger,
reorganization, consolidation, recapitalization or other change in corporate
structure affecting the Common Stock, such adjustment shall be deemed to be made
in the definition of "Registrable Security" as is appropriate in order to
prevent any dilution or enlargement of the rights granted pursuant to this
Agreement.
Section 2. Restrictions on Transfer. The Purchaser
acknowledges and understands that in the absence of an effective Registration
Statement authorizing the resale of the Securities as provided herein, the
Securities are "restricted securities" as defined in Rule 144 promulgated under
the Securities Act. The Purchaser understands that no disposition or transfer of
the Securities may be made by Purchaser in the absence of (i) an opinion of
counsel to the Purchaser, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the
Company, that such transfer may be made without registration under the
Securities Act or (ii) such registration.
With a view to making available to the Purchaser the benefits
of Rule 144 under the Securities Act or any other similar rule or regulation of
the Commission that may at any time permit the Purchaser to sell securities of
the Company to the public without registration ("Rule 144"), the Company agrees
to:
(a) comply with the provisions of paragraph (c)(1) of
Rule 144; and
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(b) file with the Commission in a timely manner all
reports and other documents required to be filed by the Company pursuant to
Section 13 or 15(d) under the Exchange Act; and, if at any time it is not
required to file such reports but in the past had been required to or did file
such reports, it will, upon the request of any Purchaser, make available other
information as required by, and so long as necessary to permit sales of its
Registrable Securities pursuant to, Rule 144.
Section 3. Registration Rights With Respect to the Securities.
(a) The Company agrees that it will prepare and file
with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("Commission"), within forty-five
(45) days after the date hereof, a registration statement (on Form S-3 and/or
S-1, or other appropriate form of registration statement) under the Securities
Act (the "Registration Statement"), at the sole expense of the Company (except
as provided in Section 3(c) hereof), in respect of Purchaser, so as to permit a
public offering and resale of the Securities under the Act by Purchaser.
The Company shall use its best efforts to cause the
Registration Statement to become effective within five (5) business days of SEC
clearance and will within said five (5) business days request acceleration of
effectiveness. The Company will notify Purchaser of the effectiveness of the
Registration Statement within one Trading Day of such event.
(b) The Company will maintain the Registration
Statement or post-effective amendment filed under this Section 3 hereof
effective under the Securities Act until the earlier of (i) the date that none
of the Securities are or may become issued and outstanding, (ii) the date that
all of the Securities have been sold pursuant to the Registration Statement,
(iii) the date the holders thereof receive an opinion of counsel to the Company,
which counsel shall be reasonably acceptable to the Purchaser, that the
Securities may be sold under the provisions of Rule 144 without limitation as to
volume, (iv) all Securities have been otherwise transferred to persons who may
trade such shares without restriction under the Securities Act, and the Company
has delivered a new certificate or other evidence of ownership for such
Securities not bearing a restrictive legend, or (v) all Securities may be sold
without any time, volume or manner limitations pursuant to Rule 144(k) or any
similar provision then in effect under the Securities Act in the opinion of
counsel to the Company, which counsel shall be reasonably acceptable to the
Purchaser (the "Effectiveness Period").
(c) All fees, disbursements and out-of-pocket
expenses and costs incurred by the Company in connection with the preparation
and filing of the Registration Statement under subparagraph 3(a) and in
complying with applicable securities and New York Blue Sky laws (including,
without limitation, all attorneys' fees of the Company) shall be borne by the
Company. The Purchaser shall bear the cost of underwriting and/or brokerage
discounts, fees and commissions, if any, applicable to the Securities being
registered and the fees and expenses of its counsel. The Purchaser and its
counsel shall have a reasonable period, not to exceed seven (7) Trading Days, to
review the proposed Registration Statement or any amendment thereto, prior to
filing with the Commission, and the Company shall provide each Purchaser with
copies of any comment letters received from the Commission with respect thereto
within two (2) Trading Days of receipt thereof. The Company shall make
reasonably available for inspection by Purchaser, any underwriter participating
in any disposition pursuant to the Registration Statement, and any attorney,
accountant or other agent retained by such Purchaser or any such underwriter all
relevant financial and other records, pertinent corporate documents and
properties of the Company and its subsidiaries, and cause
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the Company's officers, directors and employees to supply all information
reasonably requested by such Purchaser or any such underwriter, attorney,
accountant or agent in connection with the Registration Statement, in each case,
as is customary for similar due diligence examinations; provided, however, that
all records, information and documents that are designated in writing by the
Company, in good faith, as confidential, proprietary or containing any material
non-public information shall be kept confidential by such Purchaser and any such
underwriter, attorney, accountant or agent (pursuant to an appropriate
confidentiality agreement in the case of any such Purchaser or agent), unless
such disclosure is made pursuant to judicial process in a court proceeding
(after first giving the Company an opportunity promptly to seek a protective
order or otherwise limit the scope of the information sought to be disclosed) or
is required by law, or such records, information or documents become available
to the public generally or through a third party not in violation of an
accompanying obligation of confidentiality; and provided further that, if the
foregoing inspection and information gathering would otherwise disrupt the
Company's conduct of its business, such inspection and information gathering
shall, to the maximum extent possible, be coordinated on behalf of the Purchaser
and the other parties entitled thereto by one firm of counsel designated by and
on behalf of the majority in interest of Purchaser and other parties. The
Company shall qualify any of the Securities for sale in New York, upon the
request of the Purchaser, and shall furnish indemnification in the manner
provided in Section 6 hereof. However, the Company shall not be required to
qualify in any state which will require an escrow or other restriction relating
to the Company and/or the sellers, or which will require the Company to qualify
to do business in such state or require the Company to file therein any general
consent to service of process. The Company at its expense will supply the
Purchaser with copies of the Registration Statement and the prospectus included
therein and other related documents in such quantities as may be reasonably
requested by the Purchaser.
(d) The Company shall not be required by this Section
3 to include a Purchaser's Securities in any Registration Statement which is to
be filed if, in the opinion of counsel for both the Purchaser and the Company
(or, should they not agree, in the opinion of another counsel experienced in
securities law matters acceptable to counsel for the Purchaser and the Company)
the proposed offering or other transfer as to which such registration is
requested is exempt from applicable federal and state securities laws and would
result in all purchasers or transferees obtaining securities which are not
"restricted securities", as defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act.
(e) If at any time or from time to time after the
effective date of the Registration Statement, the Company notifies the Purchaser
in writing of the existence of a Potential Material Event (as defined in Section
3(f) below), the Purchaser shall not offer or sell any Securities or engage in
any other transaction involving or relating to Securities, from the time of the
giving of notice with respect to a Potential Material Event until such Purchaser
receives written notice from the Company that such Potential Material Event
either has been disclosed to the public or no longer constitutes a Potential
Material Event; provided, however, that if the Company so suspends the right to
such holders of Securities for more than thirty (30) days in the aggregate
during any twelve month period, during the periods the Registration Statement is
required to be in effect then the Company must compensate the Purchaser for the
amount by which the VWAP (as defined in the Stock Purchase Agreement) of the
Common Stock held by Purchaser on the first Trading Day of the most recent
suspension exceeds the greater of (i) the price of such Common Stock at the end
of such suspension or (ii) the price at which such Common Stock is sold by
Purchaser. If a Potential Material Event shall occur prior to the date the
Registration Statement is filed, then the Company's obligation to file the
Registration Statement shall be delayed without penalty for not more than thirty
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(30) days. The Company must give Purchaser notice in writing at least two (2)
Trading Days prior to the first day of the blackout period, if lawful to do so.
(f) "Potential Material Event" means any of the
following: (a) the possession by the Company of material information that is not
ripe for disclosure in a registration statement, as determined in good faith by
the Chief Executive Officer or the Board of Directors of the Company or that
disclosure of such information in the Registration Statement would be
detrimental to the business and affairs of the Company; or (b) any material
engagement or activity by the Company which would, in the good faith
determination of the Chief Executive Officer or the Board of Directors of the
Company, be adversely affected by disclosure in a registration statement at such
time, which determination shall be accompanied by a good faith determination by
the Chief Executive Officer or the Board of Directors of the Company that the
Registration Statement would be materially misleading absent the inclusion of
such information.
Section 4. Cooperation with Company. Purchaser will cooperate
with the Company in all respects in connection with this Agreement, including
timely supplying all information reasonably requested by the Company (which
shall include all information regarding the Purchaser and proposed manner of
sale of the Registrable Securities required to be disclosed in the Registration
Statement) and executing and returning all documents reasonably requested in
connection with the registration and sale of the Registrable Securities and
entering into and performing its obligations under any underwriting agreement,
if the offering is an underwritten offering, in usual and customary form, with
the managing underwriter or underwriters of such underwritten offering. The
Purchaser shall consent to be named as an underwriter in the Registration
Statement. Purchaser acknowledges that in accordance with current Commission
policy, the Purchaser will be named as the underwriter of the Securities in the
Registration Statement.
Section 5. Registration Procedures. If and whenever the
Company is required by any of the provisions of this Agreement to effect the
registration of any of the Registrable Securities under the Act, the Company
shall (except as otherwise provided in this Agreement), as expeditiously as
possible, subject to the Purchaser's assistance and cooperation as reasonably
required:
(a) prepare and file with the Commission such
amendments and supplements to the Registration Statement and the prospectus used
in connection therewith as may be necessary to keep such registration statement
effective and to comply with the provisions of the Act with respect to the sale
or other disposition of all securities covered by such registration statement
whenever the Purchaser of such Registrable Securities shall desire to sell or
otherwise dispose of the same (including prospectus supplements with respect to
the sales of securities from time to time in connection with a registration
statement pursuant to Rule 415 promulgated under the Act) and (ii) take all
lawful action such that each of (A) the Registration Statement and any amendment
thereto does not, when it becomes effective, contain an untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein, not misleading and (B) the Prospectus
forming part of the Registration Statement, and any amendment or supplement
thereto, does not at any time during the Effectiveness Period (other than
periods covered by Section 3(e)) include an untrue statement of a material fact
or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to
make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading.
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(b) prior to the filing with the Commission of any
Registration Statement (including any amendments thereto) and the distribution
or delivery of any prospectus (including any supplements thereto), provide draft
copies thereof to the Purchasers and reflect in such documents all such comments
as the Purchasers (and their counsel) reasonably may propose and (ii) furnish to
each Purchaser such numbers of copies of a prospectus including a preliminary
prospectus or any amendment or supplement to any prospectus, as applicable, in
conformity with the requirements of the Act, and such other documents, as such
Purchaser may reasonably request in order to facilitate the public sale or other
disposition of the securities owned by such Purchaser;
(c) register and qualify the Registrable Securities
covered by the Registration Statement under applicable blue sky laws (subject to
the limitations set forth in Section 3(c) above), and do any and all other acts
and things which may be reasonably necessary or advisable to enable each
Purchaser to consummate the public sale or other disposition in such
jurisdiction of the securities owned by such Purchaser, except that the Company
shall not for any such purpose be required to qualify to do business as a
foreign corporation in any jurisdiction wherein it is not so qualified or to
file therein any general consent to service of process, and, Purchaser shall
provide the Company with reasonable notice if it intends to sell Registrable
Securities to a person that is not a registered broker-dealer so that the
Company may comply with applicable blue sky laws;
(d) list such Registrable Securities on the Principal
Market, and any other exchange on which the Common Stock of the Company is then
listed, if the listing of such Registrable Securities is then permitted under
the rules of such exchange or the Nasdaq Stock Market;
(e) notify each Purchaser at any time when a
prospectus relating thereto covered by the Registration Statement is required to
be delivered under the Act, of the happening of any event of which it has
knowledge as a result of which the prospectus included in the Registration
Statement, as then in effect, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or
omits to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to
make the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances
then existing, and the Company shall prepare and file a curative amendment under
Section 5(a) as quickly as commercially possible;
(f) as promptly as practicable after becoming aware
of such event, notify each Purchaser who holds Registrable Securities being sold
(or, in the event of an underwritten offering, the managing underwriters) of the
issuance by the Commission or any state authority of any stop order or other
suspension of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement at the earliest
possible time and take all lawful action to effect the withdrawal, recession or
removal of such stop order or other suspension;
(g) cooperate with the Purchasers to facilitate the
timely preparation and delivery of certificates for the Registrable Securities
to be offered pursuant to the Registration Statement and enable such
certificates for the Registrable Securities to be in such denominations or
amounts, as the case may be, as the Purchasers reasonably may request and
registered in such names as the Purchaser may request; and, within three (3)
Trading Days after a Registration Statement which includes Registrable
Securities is declared effective by the Commission, deliver and cause legal
counsel selected by the Company to deliver to the transfer agent for the
Registrable Securities (with copies to the Purchasers whose Registrable
Securities are included in such Registration Statement) an appropriate
instruction and, to the extent necessary, an opinion of such counsel;
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(h) take all such other lawful actions reasonably
necessary to expedite and facilitate the disposition by the Purchasers of their
Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended methods therefor provided
in the prospectus which are customary for issuers to perform under the
circumstances;
(i) in the event of an underwritten offering,
promptly include or incorporate in a Prospectus supplement or post-effective
amendment to the Registration Statement such information as the managers
reasonably agree should be included therein and to which the Company does not
reasonably object and make all required filings of such Prospectus supplement or
post-effective amendment as soon as practicable after it is notified of the
matters to be included or incorporated in such Prospectus supplement or
post-effective amendment; and
(j) maintain a transfer agent for its Common Stock.
Section 6. Indemnification.
(a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless
the Purchaser and each person, if any, who controls the Purchaser within the
meaning of the Securities Act ("Distributing Purchaser") against any losses,
claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several (which shall, for all purposes
of this Agreement, include, but not be limited to, all reasonable costs of
defense and investigation and all reasonable attorneys' fees), to which the
Distributing Purchaser may become subject, under the Securities Act or
otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in
respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement of any material fact contained in the Registration Statement,
or any related preliminary prospectus, final prospectus or amendment or
supplement thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged
omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; provided, however, that
the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such
loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue
statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in
the Registration Statement, preliminary prospectus, final prospectus or
amendment or supplement thereto in reliance upon, and in conformity with,
written information furnished to the Company by the Distributing Purchaser,
specifically for use in the preparation thereof. This Section 6(a) shall not
inure to the benefit of any Distributing Purchaser with respect to any person
asserting such loss, claim, damage or liability who purchased the Registrable
Securities which are the subject thereof if the Distributing Purchaser failed to
send or give (in violation of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations
promulgated thereunder) a copy of the prospectus contained in such Registration
Statement to such person at or prior to the written confirmation to such person
of the sale of such Registrable Securities, where the Distributing Purchaser or
other underwriter distributing the Securities was obligated to do so under the
Securities Act or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. This
indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability which the Company may
otherwise have.
(b) Each Distributing Purchaser agrees that it will
indemnify and hold harmless the Company, and each officer, director of the
Company or person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the
Securities Act, against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (which shall,
for all purposes of this Agreement, include, but not be limited to, all
reasonable costs of defense and investigation and all reasonable attorneys'
fees) to which the Company or any such officer, director or controlling person
may become subject under the Securities Act or otherwise, insofar as such
losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out
of or are
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based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material
fact contained in the Registration Statement, or any related preliminary
prospectus, final prospectus or amendment or supplement thereto, or arise out of
or are based upon the omission or the alleged omission to state therein a
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein not misleading, but in each case only to the extent that such untrue
statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made
in the Registration Statement, preliminary prospectus, final prospectus or
amendment or supplement thereto in reliance upon, and in conformity with,
written information furnished to the Company by such Distributing Purchaser,
specifically for use in the preparation thereof or (ii) the failure of a
Distributing Purchaser to provide all information regarding the manner of sale
of the Registrable Securities required to be disclosed in the Registration
Statement. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability which
the Distributing Purchaser may otherwise have and any failure by such
Distributing Purchaser or other underwriter distributing the Securities to
deliver a copy of the prospectus contained in the Registration Statement to any
purchaser of Registrable Securities in violation of federal or state securities
laws. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, the Distributing Investor
shall not be liable under this Section 6(b) for any amount in excess of the net
proceeds to such Distributing Investor as a result of the sale of Registrable
Securities pursuant to the Registration Statement.
(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party
under this Section 6 of notice of the commencement of any action, such
indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the
indemnifying party under this Section 6, notify the indemnifying party of the
commencement thereof; but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party will
not relieve the indemnifying party from any liability which it may have to any
indemnified party except to the extent of actual prejudice demonstrated by the
indemnifying party. In case any such action is brought against any indemnified
party, and it notifies the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the
indemnifying party will be entitled to participate in, and, to the extent that
it may wish, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified,
assume the defense thereof, subject to the provisions herein stated and after
notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so
to assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party will not be liable to such
indemnified party under this Section 6 for any legal or other expenses
subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the defense
thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation, unless the indemnifying
party shall not pursue the action to its final conclusion. The indemnified party
shall have the right to employ separate counsel in any such action and to
participate in the defense thereof, but the fees and expenses of such counsel
shall not be at the expense of the indemnifying party if the indemnifying party
has assumed the defense of the action with counsel reasonably satisfactory to
the indemnified party; provided that if the indemnified party is the
Distributing Purchaser, the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the
expense of the indemnifying party if (i) the employment of such counsel has been
specifically authorized in writing by the indemnifying party, or (ii) the named
parties to any such action (including any impleaded parties) include both the
Distributing Purchaser and the indemnifying party and the Distributing Purchaser
shall have been advised by such counsel that there may be one or more legal
defenses available to the indemnifying party different from or in conflict with
any legal defenses which may be available to the Distributing Purchaser (in
which case the indemnifying party shall not have the right to assume the defense
of such action on behalf of the Distributing Purchaser, it being understood,
however, that the indemnifying party shall, in connection with any one such
action or separate but substantially similar or related actions in the same
jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances, be
liable only for the reasonable fees and expenses of one separate firm of
attorneys for the Distributing Purchaser, which firm shall be designated in
writing by the Distributing Purchaser). No settlement of any action against an
indemnified party shall be
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made without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, which consent
shall not be unreasonably withheld.
All fees and expenses of the indemnified party (including
reasonable costs of defense and investigation in a manner not inconsistent with
this Section and all reasonable attorneys' fees and expenses) shall be paid to
the indemnified party, as incurred, within ten (10) Trading Days of written
notice thereof to the indemnifying party (regardless of whether it is ultimately
determined that an indemnified party is not entitled to indemnification
hereunder; provided, that the indemnifying party may require such indemnified
party to undertake to reimburse all such fees and expenses to the extent it is
finally judicially determined that such indemnified party is not entitled to
indemnification hereunder).
Section 7. Contribution. In order to provide for just and
equitable contribution under the Securities Act in any case in which (i) the
indemnified party makes a claim for indemnification pursuant to Section 6 hereof
but is judicially determined (by the entry of a final judgment or decree by a
court of competent jurisdiction and the expiration of time to appeal or the
denial of the last right of appeal) that such indemnification may not be
enforced in such case notwithstanding the fact that the express provisions of
Section 6 hereof provide for indemnification in such case, or (ii) contribution
under the Securities Act may be required on the part of any indemnified party,
then the Company and the applicable Distributing Purchaser shall contribute to
the aggregate losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which they may be
subject (which shall, for all purposes of this Agreement, include, but not be
limited to, all reasonable costs of defense and investigation and all reasonable
attorneys' fees), in either such case (after contribution from others) on the
basis of relative fault as well as any other relevant equitable considerations.
The 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 the Company on the one hand or the applicable Distributing Purchaser
on the other hand, and the parties' relative intent, knowledge, access to
information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.
The Company and the Distributing Purchaser agree that it would not be just and
equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 7 were determined by pro rata
allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of
the equitable considerations referred to in this Section 7. The amount paid or
payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or
liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to above in this Section 7
shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by
such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such
action or claim. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the
meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to
contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent
misrepresentation.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 7, in no
event shall any (i) Purchaser be required to undertake liability to any person
under this Section 7 for any amounts in excess of the dollar amount of the net
proceeds to be received by such Purchaser from the sale of such Purchaser's
Registrable Securities (after deducting any fees, discounts and commissions
applicable thereto) pursuant to any Registration Statement under which such
Registrable Securities are to be registered under the Securities Act and (ii)
underwriter be required to undertake liability to any person hereunder for any
amounts in excess of the aggregate discount, commission or other compensation
payable to such underwriter with respect to the Registrable Securities
underwritten by it and distributed pursuant to the Registration Statement.
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Section 8. Notices. All notices, demands, requests, consents,
approvals, and other communications required or permitted hereunder shall be in
writing and, unless otherwise specified herein, shall be delivered as set forth
in the Purchase Agreement.
Section 9. Assignment. Neither this Agreement nor any rights
of the Purchaser or the Company hereunder may be assigned by either party to any
other person. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (a) the provisions of this
Agreement shall inure to the benefit of, and be enforceable by, any transferee
of any of the Common Stock purchased by the Purchaser pursuant to the Purchase
Agreement other than through open-market sales, and (b) upon the prior written
consent of the Company, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or
delayed in the case of an assignment to an affiliate of the Purchaser, the
Purchaser's interest in this Agreement may be assigned at any time, in whole or
in part, to any other person or entity (including any affiliate of the
Purchaser) who agrees to be bound hereby.
Section 10. Counterparts/Facsimile. This Agreement may be
executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall constitute an
original, but all of which, when together shall constitute but one and the same
instrument, and shall become effective when one or more counterparts have been
signed by each party hereto and delivered to the other party. In lieu of the
original, a facsimile transmission or copy of the original shall be as effective
and enforceable as the original.
Section 11. Remedies. The remedies provided in this Agreement
are cumulative and not exclusive of any remedies provided by law. If any term,
provision, covenant or restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of
competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable, the
remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions set forth herein
shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired
or invalidated, and the parties hereto shall use their best efforts to find and
employ an alternative means to achieve the same or substantially the same result
as that contemplated by such term, provision, covenant or restriction. It is
hereby stipulated and declared to be the intention of the parties that they
would have executed the remaining terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions
without including any of such that may be hereafter declared invalid, illegal,
void or unenforceable.
Section 12. Conflicting Agreements. The Company shall not
enter into any agreement with respect to its securities that is inconsistent
with the rights granted to the holders of Registrable Securities in this
Agreement or otherwise prevents the Company from complying with all of its
obligations hereunder.
Section 13. Headings. The headings in this Agreement are for
reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or
interpretation of this Agreement.
Section 14. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by
and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to
contracts made in New York by persons domiciled in New York City and without
regard to its principles of conflicts of laws. Any action may be brought as set
forth in the Purchase Agreement. Any party shall have the right to seek
injunctive relief from any court of competent jurisdiction in any case where
such relief is available. Any dispute under this Agreement shall be submitted to
arbitration under the American Arbitration Association (the "AAA") in New York
City, New York, and shall be finally and conclusively determined by the decision
of a board of arbitration consisting of three (3) members (hereinafter referred
to as the "Board of Arbitration") selected as according to the rules governing
the AAA. The
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Board of Arbitration shall meet on consecutive business days in New York City,
New York, and shall reach and render a decision in writing (concurred in by a
majority of the members of the Board of Arbitration) with respect to the amount,
if any, which the losing party is required to pay to the other party in respect
of a claim filed. In connection with rendering its decisions, the Board of
Arbitration shall adopt and follow the laws of the State of New York. To the
extent practical, decisions of the Board of Arbitration shall be rendered no
more than thirty (30) calendar days following commencement of proceedings with
respect thereto. The Board of Arbitration shall cause its written decision to be
delivered to all parties involved in the dispute. The Board of Arbitration shall
be authorized and is directed to enter a default judgment against any party
refusing to participate in the arbitration proceeding with thirty days of any
deadline for such participation. Any decision made by the Board of Arbitration
(either prior to or after the expiration of such thirty (30) calendar day
period) shall be final, binding and conclusive on the parties to the dispute,
and entitled to be enforced to the fullest extent permitted by law and entered
in any court of competent jurisdiction. The prevailing party shall be awarded
its costs, including attorneys' fees, from the non-prevailing party as part of
the arbitration award. Any party shall have the right to seek injunctive relief
from any court of competent jurisdiction in any case where such relief is
available. The prevailing party in such injunctive action shall be awarded its
costs, including attorney's fees, from the non-prevailing party.
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Section 15. Severability. If any provision of this Agreement
shall for any reason be held invalid or unenforceable, such invalidity or
unenforceability shall not affect any other provision hereof and this Agreement
shall be construed as if such invalid or unenforceable provision had never been
contained herein.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this
Registration Rights Agreement to be duly executed, on this 19th day of July,
2000.
AMERIQUEST TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
By: /s/ Alexander C. Kramer
---------------------------------------
Alexander C. Kramer, President & CEO
WANQUAY LIMITED
By: /s/ Hans Gassner
---------------------------------------
Hans Gassner, Authorized Signatory
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