ASCENT CAPITAL GROUP, INC. (a Delaware corporation) $90,000,000 4.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2020 UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT Dated: July 11, 2013

EX-1.1 2 a13-16729_1ex1d1.htm EX-1.1

Exhibit 1.1

 

EXECUTION VERSION

 

 

ASCENT CAPITAL GROUP, INC.

 

(a Delaware corporation)

 

$90,000,000

 

4.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2020

 

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

 

Dated:  July 11, 2013

 

 



 

ASCENT CAPITAL GROUP, INC.

 

(a Delaware corporation)

 

$90,000,000

 

4.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2020

 

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

 

July 11, 2013

 

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith

Incorporated

Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC

as Representative(s) of the several Underwriters

c/o Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith

Incorporated

One Bryant Park

New York, New York 10036

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

Ascent Capital Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), confirms its agreement with Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (“Merrill Lynch”) and each of the other Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto (collectively, the “Underwriters,” which term shall also include any underwriter substituted as hereinafter provided in Section 10 hereof), for whom Merrill Lynch, Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC are acting as representative(s) (in such capacity, the “Representative(s)”), with respect to (i) the sale by the Company and the purchase by the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of the respective principal amounts set forth in said Schedule A of $90,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Company’s 4.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2020 (the “Initial Securities”) and (ii) the grant by the Company to the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of the option to purchase all or any part of an additional $13,500,000 aggregate principal amount of its 4.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2020 (the “Option Securities” and, together with the Initial Securities, the “Securities”).  The Securities are to be issued pursuant to an indenture dated as of July 17, 2013 (the “Indenture”) between the Company and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee (the “Trustee”).

 

The Company understands that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of the Securities as soon as the Representative(s) deem(s) advisable after this Agreement has been executed and delivered and the Indenture has been qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (together with the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, the “1939 Act”).

 

The Company shall use the net proceeds from the offering of the Securities to partially fund the proposed acquisition (the “Security Networks Acquisition”) by its wholly-owned subsidiary, Monitronics International, Inc., a Texas corporation (“Monitronics”), of Security Networks, LLC, a Florida limited liability company (the “Target”) and certain affiliated entities, pursuant to the terms and conditions disclosed in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; provided, however, that if

 



 

Monitronics fails to consummate the Security Networks Acquisition, the Company shall use the proceeds for general corporate purposes.  The Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of July 10, 2013, governing the Security Networks Acquisition shall herein be referred to as the “Security Networks Purchase Agreement.”

 

The Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) an automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-189892) covering the public offering and sale of certain securities, including the Securities, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (the “1933 Act Regulations”), which automatic shelf registration statement became effective under Rule 462(e) under the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 462(e)”). Such registration statement, as of any time, means such registration statement as amended by any post-effective amendments thereto to such time, including the exhibits and any schedules thereto at such time, the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein at such time pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act and the documents otherwise deemed to be a part thereof as of such time pursuant to Rule 430B under the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 430B”), is referred to herein as the “Registration Statement;” provided, however, that the “Registration Statement” without reference to a time means such registration statement as amended by any post-effective amendments thereto as of the time of the first contract of sale for the Securities, which time shall be considered the “new effective date” of such registration statement with respect to the Securities within the meaning of paragraph (f)(2) of Rule 430B, including the exhibits and schedules thereto as of such time, the documents incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference therein at such time pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act and the documents otherwise deemed to be a part thereof as of such time pursuant to the Rule 430B.  Each preliminary prospectus used in connection with the offering of the Securities, including the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act, are collectively referred to herein as a “preliminary prospectus.”  Promptly after execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company will prepare and file a final prospectus relating to the Securities in accordance with the provisions of Rule 424(b) under the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 424(b)”).  The final prospectus, in the form first furnished or made available to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offering of the Securities, including the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act, are collectively referred to herein as the “Prospectus.”  For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system or any successor system (“EDGAR”).

 

In connection with the offering and sale of the Securities by the Company pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, the Company is entering into convertible note hedge and warrant transactions with one or more of the Underwriters or affiliates thereof pursuant to confirmation letters, dated as of the date hereof, subject to an agreement in the form of the ISDA 2002 Master Agreement (the “Hedge and Warrant Documents”). This Agreement, the Indenture, the Securities and the Hedge and Warrant Documents are referred to herein collectively as the “Operative Documents.” From and after any Date of Delivery in respect of Option Securities, the term “Hedge and Warrant Documents” shall also include any additional confirmation letters subject to an agreement in the form of the ISDA 2002 Master Agreement relating to convertible note hedge and warrant transactions entered into in connection with the Option Securities.

 

As used in this Agreement:

 

Applicable Time” means 8:45 P.M., New York City time, on July 11, 2013 or such other time as agreed by the Company and Merrill Lynch.

 

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General Disclosure Package” means any Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectuses issued at or prior to the Applicable Time and the most recent preliminary prospectus (including any documents incorporated therein by reference) that is distributed to investors prior to the Applicable Time, all considered together.

 

Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 433”), including without limitation any “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 405”)) relating to the Securities that is (i) required to be filed with the Commission by the Company, (ii) a “road show that is a written communication” within the meaning of Rule 433(d)(8)(i), whether or not required to be filed with the Commission, (iii) exempt from filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i) because it contains a description of the Securities or of the offering that does not reflect the final terms, in each case in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g), or (iv) the Final Term Sheet (as defined below).

 

Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is intended for general distribution to prospective investors, as evidenced by its being specified in Schedule B hereto.

 

Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not an Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus.

 

subsidiaries” means with respect to the Company, the subsidiaries of the Company; provided that, solely as used in Section 1 but subject to any express exceptions set forth therein, “subsidiaries” means with respect to the Company, the subsidiaries of the Company, the Target and the subsidiaries of the Target (it being understood that all representations and warranties in Section 1 with respect to the Target and the subsidiaries of the Target are made only to the knowledge of the Company).

 

All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information which is “contained,” “included” or “stated” (or other references of like import) in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to include all such financial statements and schedules and other information incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be, prior to the execution and delivery of this Agreement; and all references in this Agreement to amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to include the filing of any document under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively, the “1934 Act”), incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be, at or after the execution and delivery of this Agreement.

 

SECTION 1.                                                    Representations and Warranties.

 

(a)                                 Representations and Warranties by the Company.  The Company represents and warrants to each Underwriter as of the date hereof, the Applicable Time, the Closing Time (as defined below) and any Date of Delivery (as defined below), and agrees with each Underwriter, as follows:

 

(i)                                Registration Statement and Prospectuses.  The Company meets the requirements for use of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act.  The Registration Statement is an “automatic shelf registration statement” (as defined in Rule 405) and the Securities have been and remain eligible for

 

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registration by the Company on such automatic shelf registration statement.  Each of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto has become effective under the 1933 Act.  No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto has been issued under the 1933 Act, no order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus has been issued and no proceedings for any of those purposes have been instituted or are pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, contemplated.  The Company has complied with each request (if any) from the Commission for additional information.

 

Each of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the time of its effectiveness and at each deemed effective date with respect to the Underwriters pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(2) under the 1933 Act Regulations, complied in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations.  Each preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, at the time each was filed with the Commission, complied in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act Regulations. Each preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with this offering was identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation
S-T.

 

The documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus, when they became effective or at the time they were or hereafter are filed with the Commission, complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission under the 1934 Act (the “1934 Act Regulations”).

 

(ii)                             Accurate Disclosure.  Neither the Registration Statement nor any amendment thereto, at its effective time, at the Closing Time or at any Date of Delivery, contained, contains or will contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.  As of the Applicable Time, neither (A) the General Disclosure Package nor (B) any individual Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus, when considered together with the General Disclosure Package, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.  Neither the Prospectus nor any amendment or supplement thereto (including any prospectus wrapper), as of its issue date, at the time of any filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b), at the Closing Time or at any Date of Delivery, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.  The documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, at the time the Registration Statement became effective or when such documents incorporated by reference were filed with the Commission, as the case may be, when read together with the other information in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as the case may be, did not and will not 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 not misleading.

 

The representations and warranties in this subsection shall not apply to (i) the Statement of Eligibility (Form T-1) of the Trustee under the 1939 Act or (ii) statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), the General Disclosure Package or the

 

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Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through Merrill Lynch expressly for use therein.  For purposes of this Agreement, the only information so furnished shall be the information in the fourth paragraph and the third sentence of the eighth paragraph under the heading “Underwriting” contained in the Prospectus (collectively, the “Underwriter Information”).

 

(iii)                          Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses.  No Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, including any document incorporated by reference therein, and any preliminary or other prospectus deemed to be a part thereof that has not been superseded or modified.  Any offer that is a written communication relating to the Securities made prior to the initial filing of the Registration Statement by the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this paragraph only, of Rule 163(c) of the 1933 Act Regulations) has been filed with the Commission in accordance with the exemption provided by Rule 163 under the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 163”) and otherwise complied with the requirements of Rule 163, including without limitation the legending requirement, to qualify such offer for the exemption from Section 5(c) of the 1933 Act provided by Rule 163.

 

(iv)                         Well-Known Seasoned Issuer.  (A) At the original effectiveness of the Registration Statement, (B) at the time of the most recent amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the 1933 Act (whether such amendment was by post-effective amendment, incorporated report filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the 1934 Act or form of prospectus), (C) at the time the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause only, of Rule 163(c)) made any offer relating to the Securities in reliance on the exemption of Rule 163, and (D) as of the Applicable Time, the Company was and is a “well-known seasoned issuer” (as defined in Rule 405).

 

(v)                            Company Not Ineligible Issuer.  At the time of filing the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the earliest time thereafter that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) of the 1933 Act Regulations) of the Securities and at the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405, without taking account of any determination by the Commission pursuant to Rule 405 that it is not necessary that the Company be considered an ineligible issuer.

 

(vi)                         Independent Accountants of the Company.  KPMG LLP, which expressed its opinion with respect to the financial statements (which term as used in this Agreement includes the related notes thereto) included or incorporated by reference in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus), was, as of the date of such opinion, an independent registered public accounting firm within the meaning of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and the rules of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.

 

(vii)                      Independent Accountants of the Target.  To the knowledge of the Company, CohnReznick LLP, which has audited certain financial statements of the Target and its subsidiaries, was, as of the date of its opinion with respect to the Target’s audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012, an independent registered public accounting firm within the meaning of the rules of the AICPA.

 

(viii)                   Preparation of the Financial Statements; Non-GAAP Financial Measures.  The financial statements, together with the related notes, included or incorporated by reference in the

 

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Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the entities to which they relate as of and at the dates indicated and the results of their operations and cash flows for the periods specified.  Such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles as applied in the United States (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved, except as may be expressly stated in the related notes thereto.  The summary financial information set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus fairly present, in all material respects, the information set forth therein on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein.  The pro forma financial statements and the related notes thereto included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus present fairly the information shown therein, have been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidance with respect to pro forma financial statements, and the assumptions used in the preparation thereof are reasonable and the adjustments used therein are appropriate to give effect to the transactions and circumstances referred to therein. The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto.

 

(ix)                         No Material Adverse Change.  Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto), since the end of the period covered by the latest audited financial statements included therein:  (i) there has been no material adverse change, or any development that could reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs, business prospects or operations, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, of (x) the Company and its subsidiaries or (y) the Company and its subsidiaries (other than the Target and its subsidiaries), in each case, considered as one entity (any such change is called a “Material Adverse Change”); (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries (other than the Target and its subsidiaries), considered as one entity, have not incurred any material liability or obligation, indirect, direct or contingent, not in the ordinary course of business nor entered into any material transaction or agreement not in the ordinary course of business; and (iii) there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company or, except for dividends paid to the Company or its subsidiaries (other than the Target and its subsidiaries), any of the Company’s subsidiaries (other than the Target and its subsidiaries) on any class of capital stock or repurchase or redemption by the Company or any of its subsidiaries (other than the Target and its subsidiaries) of any class of capital stock.

 

(x)                            Incorporation and Good Standing of the Company and its Subsidiaries.  Each of the Company and its subsidiaries has been duly incorporated or formed, as applicable, and is validly existing as a corporation, limited partnership or limited liability company, as applicable, in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or formation, as applicable, and has corporate, partnership or limited liability company, as applicable, power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and, in the case of the Company, to enter into and perform its obligations under the Operative Documents.  Each of the Company and its subsidiaries is duly qualified as a foreign corporation, limited partnership or limited liability company, as applicable, to transact business and is in good standing or equivalent status in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except for such jurisdictions where the failure to so

 

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qualify or to be in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.  All of the issued and outstanding capital stock or other ownership interest of each subsidiary of the Company has been duly authorized and validly issued, is fully paid and nonassessable and, other than the outstanding capital stock or other ownership interest of the Target and its subsidiaries, is owned by the Company, directly or through its subsidiaries (other than the Target and its subsidiaries), free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance or claim, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.  The only subsidiaries of the Company (other than the Target and its subsidiaries) are the subsidiaries listed on Exhibit 21 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012 the “Company’s 10-K”). Neither the Target nor its subsidiaries owns or controls, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity other than the persons listed in Schedule E hereto.

 

(xi)                         Capitalization and Other Capital Stock Matters.  As of March 31, 2013, after giving pro forma effect to the issuance and sale of the Securities pursuant hereto and the other transactions described under the caption “Prospectus Summary—Recent Developments—Security Networks Acquisition and Financing Transactions”, the Company would have an authorized and outstanding capitalization as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the caption “Capitalization” (except for subsequent issuances, if any, pursuant to this Agreement, pursuant to reservations, agreements or employee benefit plans referred to in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or pursuant to the exercise of convertible securities or options referred to in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus).

 

(xii)                      Authorization of Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

 

(xiii)                   Authorization of the Hedge and Warrant Documents. Each of the Hedge and Warrant Documents has been duly authorized and, when duly executed and delivered by the Company, will constitute a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, receivership, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws from time to time in effect affecting creditors’ rights and remedies generally; by general principles of equity (regardless of whether such principles are considered in a proceeding in equity or at law) and the exercise of equitable powers by a court of competent jurisdiction; public policy, contribution and indemnification; and an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing (the “Enforceability Limitations”).

 

(xiv)                  Authorization of the Indenture.  The Indenture has been duly authorized by the Company and duly qualified under the 1939 Act and, when duly executed and delivered by the Company and the Trustee (assuming the due authorization thereof by the Trustee), will constitute a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by the Enforceability Limitations.

 

(xv)                     Authorization of the Securities and the Common Stock.  The Securities have been duly authorized and, at the Closing Time, will have been duly executed by the Company and, when authenticated, issued and delivered in the manner provided for in the Indenture and delivered against payment of the purchase price therefor as provided in this Agreement, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by the Enforceability

 

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Limitations, and will be in the form contemplated by, and entitled to the benefits of, the Indenture.  The shares of the Company’s Series A Common Stock, par value $.01 per share (the “Common Stock”) issuable upon conversion of the Securities or in settlement of the Company’s obligations under the Hedge and Warrant Documents have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance by all necessary corporate action and such shares, when issued upon such conversion or in settlement of the Company’s obligations under the Hedge and Warrant Documents, will be validly issued and will be fully paid and non-assessable; no holder of such shares will be subject to personal liability by reason of being such a holder; and the issuance of such shares upon such conversion or in settlement of the Company’s obligations under the Hedge and Warrant Documents will not be subject to the preemptive or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company.

 

(xvi)         Description of Securities and Agreements.  The Securities and the Indenture will conform in all material respects to the respective statements relating thereto contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and will be in substantially the respective forms filed or incorporated by reference, as the case may be, as exhibits to the Registration Statement.  The Common Stock conforms to all statements relating thereto contained or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and such description conforms to the rights set forth in the instruments defining the same. The statements set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, insofar as such statements purport to summarize certain provisions of the Hedge and Warrant Documents, provide a fair summary of such provisions.

 

(xvii)        Registration Rights.  Other than registration rights granted to the selling parties with respect to shares of Common Stock that may be issued as consideration for the Security Networks Acquisition (the “Security Networks Shares”), there are no persons with registration rights or other similar rights to have any securities registered for sale pursuant to the Registration Statement or otherwise registered for sale or sold by the Company under the 1933 Act pursuant to this Agreement.

 

(xviii)       Non-Contravention of Existing Instruments; No Further Authorizations or Approvals Required.  Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries (other than the Target and its subsidiaries) is (i) in violation of its charter, bylaws or other constitutive document or (ii) in default (or, with the giving of notice or lapse of time, would be in default) (“Default”) under any indenture, mortgage, loan or credit agreement, note, contract, franchise, lease or other instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries (other than the Target and its subsidiaries) is a party or by which it or any of them may be bound, or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries (other than the Target and its subsidiaries) is subject (each, an “Existing Instrument”), except, in the case of clause (ii) above, for such Defaults as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.  The execution, delivery and performance of the Operative Documents by the Company, and the issuance and delivery of the Securities, and consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby and by the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (i) have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company and will not result in any violation of the provisions of the charter, bylaws or other constitutive document of the Company or any of its subsidiaries (other than the Target and its subsidiaries), (ii) will not conflict with or constitute a breach of, or Default or a Debt Repayment Triggering Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien upon or security interests in any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries (other than the Target and its subsidiaries) pursuant to, or require the consent of any other party to, any Existing Instrument and (iii) assuming the compliance by the Underwriters with their obligations hereunder, will not result

 

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in any violation of any law, administrative regulation or administrative or court decree applicable to the Company or any of its subsidiaries (other than the Target and its subsidiaries), ex cept in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, for any such conflicts, breaches, Defaults, liens, security interests or violations as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.  Assuming the compliance by the Underwriters with their obligations hereunder, no material consent, approval, authorization or other order of, or registration or filing with, any court or other governmental or regulatory authority or agency is required for the execution, delivery and performance of the Operative Documents by the Company, or the issuance and delivery of the Securities, or consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby and by the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, except such as have been obtained or made by the Company and are in full force and effect under the Securities Act, applicable securities laws of the several states of the United States or provinces of Canada.  As used herein, a “Debt Repayment Triggering Event” means any event or condition which gives, or with the giving of notice or lapse of time would give, the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any of its subsidiaries (other than the Target and its subsidiaries).

 

(xix)         Compliance with Labor Laws.  Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change, (i) there is (A) no unfair labor practice complaint pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened against the Company or any of its subsidiaries before the National Labor Relations Board, and no grievance or arbitration proceeding arising out of or under collective bargaining agreements pending, or to the Company’s knowledge, threatened, against the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (B) no strike, labor dispute, slowdown or stoppage pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened against the Company or any of its subsidiaries and (C) no union representation question existing with respect to the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries and, to the Company’s knowledge, no union organizing activities taking place and (ii) there has been no violation of any federal, state or local law relating to discrimination in hiring, promotion or pay of employees or of any applicable wage or hour laws.

 

(xx)          No Material Actions or Proceedings.  Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental actions, suits or proceedings pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened (i) against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries or (ii) which has as the subject thereof any property owned or leased by the Company or any of its subsidiaries, and any such action, suit or proceeding, if determined adversely to the Company or any such subsidiary, would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change or adversely affect the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Operative Documents.  No material labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists or, to the Company’s knowledge, is threatened.

 

(xxi)         Accuracy of Exhibits.  There are no contracts or documents which are required to be described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement which have not been so described and filed as required.

 

(xxii)        Absence of Further Requirements.  No filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any Governmental Entity is necessary or required for the performance by the Company of its obligations under the Operative Documents, in connection with the offering, issuance or sale of the Securities hereunder or the consummation

 

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of the transactions contemplated by the Operative Documents, except such as have been already obtained or as may be required under the 1933 Act, the 1933 Act Regulations, the rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market LLC, state securities laws or the rules of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”).

 

(xxiii)       All Necessary Permits, etc.  The Company and its subsidiaries possess such valid and current certificates, authorizations or permits issued by the appropriate state, federal or foreign regulatory agencies or bodies necessary to conduct their respective businesses except where failure to do so would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change, and none of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has received any written notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of, or non-compliance with, any such certificate, authorization or permit which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.

 

(xxiv)       Title to Properties.  The Company and each of its subsidiaries has good and marketable title to all the properties and assets reflected as owned by the Company and its subsidiaries in the financial statements referred to in Section 1(viii) hereof (or elsewhere in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus), in each case free and clear of any security interests, mortgages, liens, encumbrances, equities, claims and other defects, except (i) as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (ii) as will be released with respect to the properties and assets of the Target and its subsidiaries upon consummation of the Security Networks Acquisition, and (iii) such as do not materially and adversely affect the value of the properties of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and do not materially interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of such property by the Company or any such subsidiary.  The real property, improvements, equipment and personal property held under lease by the Company or any of its subsidiaries are held under valid and enforceable leases, with such exceptions as are not material and do not materially interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of such real property, improvements, equipment or personal property by the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.

 

(xxv)        Intellectual Property Rights.  The Company and its subsidiaries own or possess sufficient trademarks, trade names, patent rights, copyrights, licenses, approvals, trade secrets and other similar rights (collectively, “Intellectual Property Rights”) reasonably necessary to conduct their businesses as now conducted; and the expected expiration of any of such Intellectual Property Rights would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.  Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of infringement or conflict with asserted Intellectual Property Rights of others, which infringement or conflict, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, would result in a Material Adverse Change.

 

(xxvi)       Environmental Laws.  Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries, directly or indirectly, has violated any environmental, safety, health or similar law or regulation applicable to its business relating to the protection of human health and safety, the Environment or Hazardous Materials (“Environmental Laws”), or lacks any permits, licenses or other approvals required of it under applicable Environmental Laws to own, lease or operate its properties and conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or is violating any terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval, and there has not been a release or threat of release at any property currently or formerly owned or operated by the Company or any of its subsidiaries which could reasonably be expected to result in liability under the Environmental Laws, which in each case would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.  For purposes of this Agreement, “Environment” means ambient air, indoor air, surface water, groundwater, drinking water, soil, surface and subsurface

 

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strata, and natural resources such as wetlands, flora and fauna.  “Hazardous Materials” means any substance, material, pollutant, contaminant, chemical, waste, compound, or constituent, in any form, including without limitation, petroleum and petroleum products, subject to regulation or which can give rise to liability under any Environmental Law.

 

(xxvii)      Company’s Accounting System.  The Company and its subsidiaries (other than the Target and its subsidiaries) maintain a system of accounting controls that is in compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and is sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that:  (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of the Company’s financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to the Company’s assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for the Company’s assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.

 

(xxviii)     Target’s Accounting System.  The Target and its subsidiaries maintain a system of accounting controls that is sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that:  (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of the Company’s financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to the Company’s assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for the Company’s assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.

 

(xxix)       Disclosure Controls and Procedures.  The Company has established and maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act) at the Company and its subsidiaries (other than the Target and its subsidiaries); such disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company and its subsidiaries (other than the Target and its subsidiaries) is made known to the chief executive officer and chief financial officer of the Company by others within the Company or any of its subsidiaries (other than the Target and its subsidiaries), and such disclosure controls and procedures are reasonably effective to perform the functions for which they were established subject to the limitations of any such control system; the Company’s auditors and the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company have been advised of:  (i) any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls which could adversely affect the ability of the Company or any of its subsidiaries (other than the Target and its subsidiaries) to record, process, summarize, and report financial data; and (ii) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a role in the Company’s internal controls; and since the date of the most recent evaluation of such disclosure controls and procedures, there have been no significant changes in internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect internal controls, including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses.

 

(xxx)        Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.  There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply in all material respects with any provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith, including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications.

 

(xxxi)       Tax Law Compliance.  The Company and its consolidated subsidiaries (other than the Target and its subsidiaries) and the Target and its subsidiaries have filed all necessary

 

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federal, state and foreign income and franchise tax returns or have properly requested extensions thereof and have paid all taxes required to be paid by any of them and, if due and payable, any related or similar assessment, fine or penalty levied against any of them except for any payments as may be contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings and not yet due or where the failure to do so would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.  The Company and Target have made adequate charges, accruals and reserves in accordance with GAAP in the applicable financial statements referred to in Section 1(viii) hereof in respect of all federal, state and foreign income and franchise taxes for all periods as to which the tax liability of the Company or any of its consolidated subsidiaries (other than the Target and its subsidiaries) or the Target or any of its subsidiaries has not been finally determined except to the extent it would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.

 

(xxxii)      Insurance.  The Company and its subsidiaries have insurance covering their respective properties, operations, personnel and businesses, including business interruption insurance, which insurance is in amounts and insures against such losses and risks as they believe are adequate to protect the Company and its subsidiaries and their respective businesses; and none of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has (i) received written notice from any insurer or agent of such insurer that capital improvements or other expenditures are required or necessary to be made in order to continue such insurance or (ii) any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage at a reasonable cost from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business.

 

(xxxiii)     Company Not an “Investment Company.”  The Company has been advised of the rules and requirements under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act,” which term, as used herein, includes the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder).  The Company is not, and after receipt of payment for the Securities will not be, an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act and will conduct its business in a manner so that it will not become subject to the Investment Company Act.

 

(xxxiv)     Absence of Manipulation.  Neither the Company nor any affiliate of the Company has taken, nor will the Company or any affiliate take, directly or indirectly, any action which is designed, or would be expected, to cause or result in, or which constitutes, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities or to result in a violation of Regulation M under the 1934 Act.

 

(xxxv)      Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.  None of the Company, any of its subsidiaries or, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries (other than the Target and its subsidiaries), or any director, officer, agent or employee acting on behalf of the Target or any of its subsidiaries, has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that would result in a violation by such persons of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “FCPA”), and the Company, its subsidiaries and, to the knowledge of the Company, the affiliates of the Company and its subsidiaries (other than the Target and its subsidiaries) have conducted their businesses in compliance with the FCPA and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith.

 

(xxxvi)     Money Laundering Laws.  The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all applicable jurisdictions, the rules and regulations

 

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thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or en forced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”); and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened.

 

(xxxvii)    OFAC. None of the Company, any of its subsidiaries or, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or representative of the Company or any of its subsidiaries (other than the Target and its subsidiaries) or any director, officer, agent, employee or representative of the Target and its subsidiaries is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”).  The Company will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the sale of the Securities, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiaries, joint venture partners or other person (i) to fund any activities of or business with of any person that, at the time of such funding, is the subject of any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC, or (ii) in any other manner that will result in a violation by any person (including any person participating in the offering, whether as an underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC.

 

(xxxviii)   Lending RelationshipExcept as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company (i) does not have any material lending or other relationship with any bank or lending affiliate of any Underwriter and (ii) does not intend to use any of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities to repay any outstanding debt owed to any affiliate of any Underwriter.

 

(xxxix)     Statistical and Market-Related Data.  Any statistical and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes, to be reliable and accurate.

 

(b)           Officer’s Certificates.  Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries delivered to the Representative(s) or to counsel for the Underwriters shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to each Underwriter as to the matters covered thereby.

 

SECTION 2.                 Sale and Delivery to Underwriters; Closing.

 

(a)           Initial Securities.  On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to sell to each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, and each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase from the Company, at the price set forth in Schedule A, the aggregate principal amount of Initial Securities set forth in Schedule A, plus any additional principal amount of Initial Securities which such Underwriter may become obligated to purchase pursuant to the provisions of Section 10 hereof, subject to such adjustments as Merrill Lynch in its discretion shall make to ensure that any sales or purchases are in authorized denominations.

 

(b)           Option Securities.  In addition, on the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company hereby grants an option to the Underwriters, severally and not jointly, to purchase the Option Securities, at the price set forth in Schedule A.  The option hereby granted may be exercised at any time after the date hereof and prior to the latest permissible Date of Delivery hereunder and may be exercised in whole or in part at any time from time to time upon notice by the Representative(s) to the Company setting forth the amount of Option Securities as to which the several Underwriters are then exercising the option and the time and date of payment

 

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and delivery for such Option Securities.  Any such time and date of delivery (a “Date of Delivery”) shall be determined by the Representative(s), but shall not be later than seven full business days after the exercise of said option, nor in any event (i) prior to the Closing Time or (ii) later than the 12th day following the Closing Time.  If the option is exercised as to all or any portion of the Option Securities, each of the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, will purchase that proportion of the total principal amount of Option Securities then being purchased which the number of Initial Securities set forth in Schedule A opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total principal amount of Initial Securities, subject in each case to such adjustments as Merrill Lynch in its discretion shall make to ensure that any sales or purchases are in authorized denominations.

 

(c)           Payment.  Payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of certificates for, the Initial Securities shall be made at the offices of Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP, 80 Pine Street, New York, New York 10005, or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representative(s) and the Company, at 9:00 A.M. (New York City time) on the fourth business day after the date hereof (unless postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 10), or such other time not later than ten business days after such date as shall be agreed upon by the Representative(s) and the Company (such time and date of payment and delivery being herein called “Closing Time”).

 

In addition, in the event that any or all of the Option Securities are purchased by the Underwriters, payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of certificates for, such Option Securities shall be made at the above-mentioned offices, or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representative(s) and the Company, on each Date of Delivery as specified in the notice from Merrill Lynch to the Company.

 

Payment shall be made to the Company by wire transfer of immediately available funds to a bank account designated by the Company, against delivery to the Representative(s) for the respective accounts of the Underwriters of certificates for the Securities to be purchased by them.  It is understood that each Underwriter has authorized the Representative(s), for its account, to accept delivery of, receipt for, and make payment of the purchase price for, the Initial Securities and the Option Securities, if any, which it has agreed to purchase.  Merrill Lynch, individually and not as representative of the Underwriters, may (but shall not be obligated to) make payment of the purchase price for the Initial Securities or the Option Securities, if any, to be purchased by any Underwriter whose funds have not been received by the Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, as the case may be, but such payment shall not relieve such Underwriter from its obligations hereunder.

 

SECTION 3.             Covenants of the Company.  The Company covenants with each Underwriter as follows:

 

(a)              Compliance with Securities Regulations and Commission Requests.  The Company, subject to Section 3(b), will comply with the requirements of Rule 430B, and will notify the Representative(s) immediately, and confirm the notice in writing, (i) when any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement shall become effective or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus shall have been filed, (ii) of the receipt of any comments from the Commission, (iii) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus, including any document incorporated by reference therein or for additional information, (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, or of the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any of such purposes or of any examination pursuant to Section 8(d) or 8(e) of the 1933 Act concerning the Registration Statement and (v) if

 

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the Company becomes the subject of a proceeding under Section 8A of the 1933 Act in connec tion with the offering of the Securities.  The Company will effect all filings required under Rule 424(b), in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8)), and will take such steps as it deems necessary to ascertain promptly whether the form of prospectus transmitted for filing under Rule 424(b) was received for filing by the Commission and, in the event that it was not, it will promptly file such prospectus.  The Company will make every reasonable effort to prevent the issuance of any stop order, prevention or suspension and, if any such order is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment.  The Company shall pay the required Commission filing fees relating to the Securities within the time required by Rule 456(b)(1)(i) under the 1933 Act Regulations without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) under the 1933 Act Regulations (including, if applicable, by updating the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in accordance with Rule 456(b)(1)(ii) either in a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or on the cover page of a prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)).

 

(b)              Continued Compliance with Securities Laws.  The Company will comply with the 1933 Act, the 1933 Act Regulations, the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Securities as contemplated in this Agreement and in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.  If at any time when a prospectus relating to the Securities is (or, but for the exception afforded by Rule 172 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 172”), would be) required by the 1933 Act to be delivered in connection with sales of the Securities, any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which it is necessary, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters or for the Company, to (i) amend the Registration Statement in order that the Registration Statement will not 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 not misleading, (ii) amend or supplement the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus in order that the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as the case may be, will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances existing at the time it is delivered to a purchaser or (iii) amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as the case may be, in order to comply with the requirements of the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations, the Company will promptly (A) give the Representative(s) notice of such event, (B) prepare any amendment or supplement as may be necessary to correct such statement or omission or to make the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus comply with such requirements and, a reasonable amount of time prior to any proposed filing or use, furnish the Representative(s) with copies of any such amendment or supplement and (C) file with the Commission any such amendment or supplement; provided that the Company shall not file or use any such amendment or supplement to which the Representative(s) or counsel for the Underwriters shall object.  The Company will furnish to the Underwriters such number of copies of such amendment or supplement as the Underwriters may reasonably request.  The Company has given the Representative(s) notice of any filings made pursuant to the 1934 Act or 1934 Act Regulations within 48 hours prior to the Applicable Time; the Company will give the Representative(s) notice of its intention to make any such filing from the Applicable Time to the Closing Time and will furnish the Representative(s) with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing, as the case may be, and will not file or use any such document to which the Representative(s) or counsel for the Underwriters shall reasonably object.

 

(c)               Delivery of Registration Statements.  The Company has furnished or will deliver to the Representative(s) and counsel for the Underwriters, without charge, signed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed and each amendment thereto (including exhibits filed

 

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therewith or incorporated by reference therein and documents incorporated or deemed to be in corporated by reference therein) and signed copies of all consents and certificates of experts, and will also deliver to the Representative(s), upon request and without charge, a conformed copy of the Registration Statement as originally filed and each amendment thereto (without exhibits) for each of the Underwriters.  The copies of the Registration Statement and each amendment thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

 

(d)                                           Delivery of Prospectuses.  The Company has delivered to each Underwriter, without charge, as many copies of each preliminary prospectus as such Underwriter reasonably requested, and the Company hereby consents to the use of such copies for purposes permitted by the 1933 Act.  The Company will furnish to each Underwriter, without charge, during the period when a prospectus relating to the Securities is (or, but for the exception afforded by Rule 172, would be) required to be delivered under the 1933 Act, such number of copies of the Prospectus (as amended or supplemented) as such Underwriter may reasonably request.  The Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

 

(e)                                            Blue Sky Qualifications.  The Company will cooperate with the Underwriters, to qualify the Securities for offering and sale under the applicable securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions (domestic or foreign) as the Representative(s) may designate and to maintain such qualifications in effect so long as required to complete the distribution of the Securities; 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 or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject.

 

(f)                                             Rule 158.  The Company will timely file such reports pursuant to the 1934 Act as are necessary in order to make generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable an earnings statement for the purposes of, and to provide to the Underwriters the benefits contemplated by, the last paragraph of Section 11(a) of the 1933 Act.

 

(g)                                            Use of Proceeds.  The Company will use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Securities in the manner specified in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds.”

 

(h)                                           Listing.  The Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to effect and maintain the listing of the Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Securities or in settlement of the Company’s obligations under the Hedge and Warrant Documents on The Nasdaq Global Select Market.

 

(i)                                               Restriction on Sale of Securities.  During a period of 90 days from the date of the Prospectus (the “Lock-Up Period”), the Company will not, without the prior written consent of Merrill Lynch, (i) directly or indirectly, offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, 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 exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or file any registration statement under the 1933 Act with respect to any of the foregoing or (ii) enter into any swap or any other agreement or any transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, the economic

 

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consequence of ownership of the Common Stock, whether any such swap or 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 Securities to be sold hereunder and the issuance of shares of Common Stock upon conversion of the Securities, if applicable, (B) any shares of Common Stock issued by the Company upon the exercise of an option or warrant or the conversion of a security outstanding on the date hereof and issued pursuant to employee benefit plans, qualified stock option plans, other employee compensation plans or non-employee director compensation programs existing on the date hereof and listed as an exhibit in the Company’s 10-K (the “Compensation Plans”), (C) any shares of Common Stock issued or options to purchase Common Stock granted pursuant to any of such Compensation Plans, (E) the entry into the transactions contemplated by the Hedge and Warrant Documents or (F) the issuance of any Security Networks Shares.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, if (1) during the last 17 days of the Lock-Up Period the Company issues an earnings release or material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs or (2) prior to the expiration of the Lock-Up Period, the Company announces that it will issue an earnings release or becomes aware that material news or a material event will occur during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the Lock-Up Period, the restrictions imposed in this clause (i) shall continue to apply until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the date of the issuance of the earnings release or the occurrence of the material news or material event, unless Merrill Lynch waives, in writing, such extension. Notwithstanding the foregoing, without the prior written consent of Merrill Lynch, the Company shall not waive Section 5.23 Lock-Up of the Security Networks Purchase Agreement during the Lock-Up Period and any extension thereof pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence.

 

(j)                                              Reporting Requirements.  The Company, during the period when a Prospectus relating to the Securities is (or, but for the exception afforded by Rule 172, would be) required to be delivered under the 1933 Act, will file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the 1934 Act within the time periods required by the 1934 Act and 1934 Act Regulations.

 

(k)                                           Final Term Sheet; Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses.  The Company will prepare a final term sheet (the “Final Term Sheet”), in the form set forth in Schedule C hereto, reflecting the final terms of the Securities, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative(s), and shall file such Final Term Sheet as an “issuer free writing prospectus” pursuant to Rule 433 prior to the close of business two business days after the date hereof; provided that the Company shall furnish the Representative(s) with copies of any such Final Term Sheet a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing and will not use or file any such document to which the Representative(s) or counsel to the Underwriters shall object.  The Company agrees that, unless it obtains the prior written consent of the Representative(s), it will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus,” or a portion thereof, required to be filed by the Company with the Commission or retained by the Company under Rule 433; provided that the Representative(s) will be deemed to have consented to the Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses listed on Schedule B-2 hereto and any “road show that is a written communication” within the meaning of Rule 433(d)(8)(i) that has been reviewed by the Representative(s).  The Company represents that it has treated or agrees that it will treat each such free writing prospectus consented to, or deemed consented to, by the Representative(s) as an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, and that it has complied and will comply with the applicable requirements of Rule 433 with respect thereto, including timely filing with the Commission where required, legending and record keeping.  If at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicted or would conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, any preliminary

 

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prospectus or the Prospectus or included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Representative(s) and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement or omission.

 

(l)                                               Conversion Rate. Between the date hereof and the Closing Time, the Company will not do or authorize any act or thing that, had the Initial Securities then been outstanding, would result in an adjustment of the conversion rate of the Securities, as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and Prospectus under the caption “Description of Notes.”

 

SECTION 4.                                      Payment of Expenses.

 

(a)                                 Expenses.  The Company will pay or cause to be paid all expenses incident to the performance of their obligations under this Agreement, including (i) the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement (including financial statements and exhibits) as originally filed and each amendment thereto, (ii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of each preliminary prospectus, each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto and any costs associated with electronic delivery of any of the foregoing by the Underwriters to investors, (iii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the Securities to the Underwriters and the Common Stock issuable upon conversion thereof, (iv) the fees and disbursements of the Company’s counsel, accountants and other advisors, (v) the qualification of the Securities under securities laws in accordance with the provisions of Section 3(e) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection therewith and in connection with the preparation of the Blue Sky Survey and any supplement thereto, (vi) all fees and expenses of the Trustee and any expenses of any transfer agent or registrar for the Securities or the Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Securities, (vii) the expenses incident to the “road show” for the offering of the Securities, including the cost of any chartered airplane or other transportation, and (viii) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the listing of the Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Securities on The Nasdaq Global Select Market.

 

(b)                                 Termination of Agreement.  If this Agreement is terminated by the Representative(s) in accordance with the provisions of Section 5, Section 9(a)(i) or (iii) or Section 10 hereof, the Company shall reimburse the Underwriters, or in the case of termination pursuant to Section 10, the non-defaulting Underwriters, for all of their out-of-pocket expenses, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters.

 

SECTION 5.                                      Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations.  The obligations of the several Underwriters hereunder are subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company contained herein or in certificates of any officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, to the performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder, and to the following further conditions:

 

(a)                                 Effectiveness of Registration Statement.  The Registration Statement has become effective and, at the Closing Time, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto has been issued under the 1933 Act, no order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus has been issued and no proceedings for any of those purposes have been instituted or are pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, contemplated; and the Company has complied with each request (if any) from

 

18



 

the Commission for additional information.  The Company shall have paid the required Commission filing fees relating to the Securities within the time period required by Rule 456(b)(1)(i) under the 1933 Act Regulations without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) under the 1933 Act Regulations and, if applicable, shall have updated the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in accordance with Rule 456(b)(1)(ii) either in a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or on the cover page of a prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b).

 

(b)                                 Opinions of Counsel for Company.  At the Closing Time, the Representative(s) shall have received the favorable opinion, dated the Closing Time, of each of (i) Baker Botts L.L.P., counsel for the Company, and (ii) general counsel of the Company, in each case, in form and substance satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters to the effect set forth in Exhibit A hereto and Exhibit B hereto, respectively, and to such further effect as counsel to the Underwriters may reasonably request.

 

(c)                                  Opinions of Counsel for Underwriters.  At the Closing Time, the Representative(s) shall have received the favorable opinion, dated the Closing Time, of each of (i) Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP and (ii) Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative(s), together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters.  In giving such opinion such counsel may rely, as to all matters governed by the laws of jurisdictions other than the law of the State of New York, the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware and the federal securities laws of the United States, upon the opinions of counsel satisfactory to the Representative(s).  Such counsel may also state that, insofar as such opinion involves factual matters, they have relied, to the extent they deem proper, upon certificates of officers and other representatives of the Company and its subsidiaries and certificates of public officials.

 

(d)                                 Officers’ Certificate.  At the Closing Time, there shall not have been, since the date hereof or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, any Material Adverse Change, and the Representative(s) shall have received a certificate of the Chief Executive Officer or the President of the Company and of the chief financial or chief accounting officer of the Company, dated the Closing Time, to the effect that (i) there has been no such Material Adverse Change, (ii) the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of the Closing Time, (iii) the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to the Closing Time, and (iv) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement under the 1933 Act has been issued, no order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus has been issued and no proceedings for any of those purposes have been instituted or are pending or, to their knowledge, contemplated.

 

(e)                                  Accountant’s Comfort Letter.  At the time of the execution of this Agreement, the Representative(s) shall have received from each of KPMG LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm for the Company, and CohnReznick LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm for the Target, a letter, dated such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative(s), together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

 

19



 

(f)                                   Bring-Down Comfort Letter.  At the Closing Time, the Representative(s) shall have received from each of KPMG LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm for the Company, and CohnReznick LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm for the Target, a letter, dated as of the Closing Time, to the effect that they reaffirm the statements made in the letter furnished pursuant to subsection (e) of this Section, except that the specified date referred to shall be a date not more than three business days prior to the Closing Time.

 

(g)                                  Approval of Listing.  At the Closing Time, the Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Securities or in settlement of the Company’s obligations under the Hedge and Warrant Documents shall have been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, subject only to official notice of issuance.

 

(h)                                 Lock-Up Agreements.  At the date of this Agreement, the Representative(s) shall have received an agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit C hereto signed by the persons listed on Schedule D hereto.

 

(i)                                     Maintenance of Rating.  Since the execution of this Agreement, there shall not have been any decrease in or withdrawal of the rating of any securities of the Company or any of its subsidiaries by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” registered under Section 15E of the 1934 Act or any notice given of any intended or potential decrease in or withdrawal of any such rating or of a possible change in any such rating that does not indicate the direction of the possible change.

 

(j)                                    Conditions to Purchase of Option Securities.  In the event that the Underwriters exercise their option provided in Section 2(b) hereof to purchase all or any portion of the Option Securities, the representations and warranties of the Company contained herein and the statements in any certificates furnished by the Company and any of its subsidiaries hereunder shall be true and correct as of each Date of Delivery and, at the relevant Date of Delivery, the Representative(s) shall have received:

 

(i)                                  Officers’ Certificate.  A certificate, dated such Date of Delivery, of the President or a Vice President of the Company and of the chief financial or chief accounting officer of the Company confirming that the certificate delivered at the Closing Time pursuant to Section 5(d) hereof remains true and correct as of such Date of Delivery.

 

(ii)                                     Opinions of Counsel for Company.  If requested by the Representative(s), the favorable opinion of Baker Botts L.L.P., counsel for the Company, together with the favorable opinion of the General Counsel of the Company, each in form and substance satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters, dated such Date of Delivery, relating to the Option Securities to be purchased on such Date of Delivery and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(b) hereof.

 

(iii)                                    Opinions of Counsel for Underwriters.  If requested by the Representative(s), the favorable opinion of each of Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, dated such Date of Delivery, relating to the Option Securities to be purchased on such Date of Delivery and otherwise to the same effect as the opinions required by Section 5(c) hereof.

 

(k)                                 Additional Documents.  At the Closing Time and at each Date of Delivery (if any) counsel for the Underwriters shall have been furnished with such documents and opinions as they may reasonably require for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale

 

20



 

of the Securities as herein contemplated, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the fulfillment of any of the conditions, herein contained; and all proceedings taken by the Company in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated shall be reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Representative(s) and counsel for the Underwriters.

 

(l)                                     Termination of Agreement.  If any condition specified in this Section shall not have been fulfilled when and as required to be fulfilled, this Agreement, or, in the case of any condition to the purchase of Option Securities on a Date of Delivery which is after the Closing Time, the obligations of the several Underwriters to purchase the relevant Option Securities, may be terminated by the Representative(s) by notice to the Company at any time at or prior to Closing Time or such Date of Delivery, as the case may be, and such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 4 and except that Sections 1, 6, 7, 8, 14, 15 and 16 shall survive any such termination and remain in full force and effect.

 

SECTION 6.                                      Indemnification.

 

(a)                                 Indemnification of Underwriters.  The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its affiliates (as such term is defined in Rule 501(b) under the 1933 Act (each, an “Affiliate”)), its selling agents and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act as follows:

 

(i)                  against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including any information deemed to be a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430B, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any preliminary prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;

 

(ii)               against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, to the extent of the aggregate amount paid in settlement of any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or of any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission; provided that (subject to Section 6(d) below) any such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company;

 

(iii)            against any and all expense whatsoever, as incurred (including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by Merrill Lynch), reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission, to the extent that any such expense is not paid under (i) or (ii) above;

 

provided, however, that this indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense to the extent arising out of any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including any information deemed

 

21



 

to be a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430B, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information.

 

(b)                                 Indemnification of Company, Directors and Officers.  Each Underwriter severally agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act, against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in subsection (a) of this Section, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including any information deemed to be a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430B, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information.

 

(c)                                  Actions against Parties; Notification.  Each indemnified party shall give notice as promptly as reasonably practicable to each indemnifying party of any action commenced against it in respect of which indemnity may be sought hereunder, but failure to so notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve such indemnifying party from any liability hereunder to the extent it is not materially prejudiced as a result thereof and in any event shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have otherwise than on account of this indemnity agreement.  In the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 6(a) above, counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected by Merrill Lynch, and, in the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 6(b) above, counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected by the Company.  An indemnifying party may participate at its own expense in the defense of any such action; provided, however, that counsel to the indemnifying party shall not (except with the consent of the indemnified party) also be counsel to the indemnified party.  In no event shall the indemnifying parties be liable for fees and expenses of more than one counsel (in addition to any local counsel) separate from their own counsel for all indemnified parties in connection with any one action or separate but similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances.  No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever in respect of which indemnification or contribution could be sought under this Section 6 or Section 7 hereof (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent (i) includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such litigation, investigation, proceeding or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party.

 

(d)                                 Settlement without Consent If Failure to Reimburse.  If at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel, such indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated by Section 6(a)(ii) effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 60 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 30 days prior to such settlement being entered into and (iii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed such indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement.

 

SECTION 7.                                      Contribution.  If the indemnification provided for in Section 6 hereof is for any reason unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount of such losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by such indemnified party, as incurred, (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, from the offering of the Securities

 

22



 

pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) 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 the Company, on the one hand, and of the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations.

 

The relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company, on the one hand, and the total underwriting discount received by the Underwriters, on the other hand, in each case as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate initial public offering price of the Securities as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus.

 

The relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

 

The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 7 were 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 account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this Section 7.  The aggregate amount of losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by an indemnified party and referred to above in this Section 7 shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.

 

Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the underwriting commissions received by such Underwriter in connection with the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public.

 

No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the 1933 Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.

 

For purposes of this Section 7, each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act and each Underwriter’s Affiliates and selling agents shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each director of the Company, each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company.  The Underwriters’ respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 7 are several in proportion to the aggregate principal amount of Initial Securities set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule A hereto and not joint.

 

SECTION 8.                                      Representations, Warranties and Agreements to Survive.  All representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement or in certificates of officers of the Company or any of its subsidiaries submitted pursuant hereto, shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or its Affiliates or selling

 

23



 

agents, any person controlling any Underwriter, its officers or directors or any person controlling the Company and (ii) delivery of and payment for the Securities.

 

SECTION 9.                                      Termination of Agreement.

 

(a)                                 Termination.  The Representative(s) may terminate this Agreement, by notice to the Company, at any time at or prior to the Closing Time (i) if there has been, in the judgment of the Representative(s), since the time of execution of this Agreement or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, any Material Adverse Change, or (ii) if there has occurred any material adverse change in the financial markets in the United States or the international financial markets, any outbreak of hostilities or escalation thereof or other calamity or crisis or any change or development involving a prospective change in national or international political, financial or economic conditions, in each case the effect of which is such as to make it, in the judgment of the Representative(s), impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the completion of the offering or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Securities, or (iii) if trading in any securities of the Company has been suspended or materially limited by the Commission or the Nasdaq Global Market, or (iv) if trading generally on the NYSE MKT or the New York Stock Exchange or in the Nasdaq Global Market has been suspended or materially limited, or minimum or maximum prices for trading have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices have been required, by any of said exchanges or by order of the Commission, FINRA or any other governmental authority, or (v) a material disruption has occurred in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States or with respect to Clearstream or Euroclear systems in Europe, or (vi) if a banking moratorium has been declared by either Federal or New York authorities.

 

(b)                                 Liabilities.  If this Agreement is terminated pursuant to this Section, such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 4 hereof, and provided further that Sections 1, 6, 7, 8, 14, 15 and 16 shall survive such termination and remain in full force and effect.

 

SECTION 10.                               Default by One or More of the Underwriters.  If one or more of the Underwriters shall fail at the Closing Time or a Date of Delivery to purchase the Securities which it or they are obligated to purchase under this Agreement (the “Defaulted Securities”), the Representative(s) shall have the right, within 24 hours thereafter, to make arrangements for one or more of the non-defaulting Underwriters, or any other underwriters, to purchase all, but not less than all, of the Defaulted Securities in such amounts as may be agreed upon and upon the terms herein set forth; if, however, the Representative(s) shall not have completed such arrangements within such 24-hour period, then:

 

(i)                  if the number of Defaulted Securities does not exceed 10% of the aggregate principal amount of the Securities to be purchased on such date, each of the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated, severally and not jointly, to purchase the full amount thereof in the proportions that their respective underwriting obligations hereunder bear to the underwriting obligations of all non-defaulting Underwriters, or

 

(ii)               if the number of Defaulted Securities exceeds 10% of the aggregate principal amount of the Securities to be purchased on such date, this Agreement or, with respect to any Date of Delivery which occurs after the Closing Time, the obligation of the Underwriters to purchase, and the Company to sell, the Option Securities to be purchased and sold on such Date of Delivery shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter.

 

No action taken pursuant to this Section shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of its default.

 

24



 

In the event of any such default which does not result in a termination of this Agreement or, in the case of a Date of Delivery which is after the Closing Time, which does not result in a termination of the obligation of the Underwriters to purchase and the Company to sell the relevant Option Securities, as the case may be, either the (i) Representative(s) or (ii) the Company shall have the right to postpone Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, as the case may be, for a period not exceeding seven days in order to effect any required changes in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements.  As used herein, the term “Underwriter” includes any person substituted for an Underwriter under this Section 10.

 

SECTION 11.                               Notices.  All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted by any standard form of telecommunication.  Notices to the Underwriters shall be directed to Merrill Lynch at One Bryant Park, New York, New York 10036, attention of Syndicate Department (facsimile:  (646) 855-3073), with a copy to ECM Legal (facsimile:  (212) 230-8730); notices to the Company shall be directed to it at Ascent Capital Group, Inc., 5251 DTC Parkway, Suite 1000, Greenwood Village, CO 80111, attention of William E. Niles (facsimile:  (303) 352-2039).

 

SECTION 12.                               No Advisory or Fiduciary Relationship.  The Company acknowledges and agrees that (a) the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement, including the determination of the initial public offering price of the Securities and any related discounts and commissions, is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other hand, (b) in connection with the offering of the Securities and the process leading thereto, each Underwriter is and has been acting solely as a principal and is not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, any of its subsidiaries or their respective stockholders, creditors, employees or any other party, (c) no Underwriter has assumed or will assume an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering of the Securities or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company or any of its subsidiaries on other matters) and no Underwriter has any obligation to the Company with respect to the offering of the Securities except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement, (d) the Underwriters and their respective affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Company and (e) the Underwriters have not provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the offering of the Securities and the Company has consulted its own respective legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate.

 

SECTION 13.                               Parties.  This Agreement shall each inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Underwriters and the Company and their respective successors.  Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person, firm or corporation, other than the Underwriters and the Company and their respective successors and the controlling persons and officers and directors referred to in Sections 6 and 7 and their heirs and legal representatives, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision herein contained.  This Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof are intended to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Underwriters and the Company and their respective successors, and said controlling persons and officers and directors and their heirs and legal representatives, and for the benefit of no other person, firm or corporation.  No purchaser of Securities from any Underwriter shall be deemed to be a successor by reason merely of such purchase.

 

SECTION 14.                               Trial by Jury.  The Company (on its behalf and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, on behalf of its stockholders and affiliates) and each of the Underwriters hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.

 

25



 

SECTION 15.                               GOVERNING LAW.  THIS AGREEMENT AND ANY CLAIM, CONTROVERSY OR DISPUTE ARISING UNDER OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF, THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT REGARD TO ITS CHOICE OF LAW PROVISIONS.

 

SECTION 16.                               Consent to Jurisdiction; Waiver of Immunity. Any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby (“Related Proceedings”) shall be instituted in (i) the federal courts of the United States of America located in the City and County of New York, Borough of Manhattan or (ii) the courts of the State of New York located in the City and County of New York, Borough of Manhattan (collectively, the “Specified Courts”), and each party irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction (except for proceedings instituted in regard to the enforcement of a judgment of any such court (a “Related Judgment”), as to which such jurisdiction is non-exclusive) of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding.  Service of any process, summons, notice or document by mail to such party’s address set forth above shall be effective service of process for any suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court.  The parties irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or other proceeding in the Specified Courts and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim in any such court that any such suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.

 

SECTION 17.                               TIME. TIME SHALL BE OF THE ESSENCE OF THIS AGREEMENT. EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE SET FORTH HEREIN, SPECIFIED TIMES OF DAY REFER TO NEW YORK CITY TIME.

 

SECTION 18.                               Counterparts.  This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement.

 

SECTION 19.                               Effect of Headings.  The Section headings herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.

 

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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to the Company a counterpart hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts, will become a binding agreement among the Underwriters and the Company in accordance with its terms.

 

 

Very truly yours,

 

 

 

ASCENT CAPITAL GROUP, INC.

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ William R. Fitzgerald

 

 

Name:

William R. Fitzgerald

 

 

Title:

Chairman of the Board, Director and
Chief Executive Officer

 

[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]

 



 

CONFIRMED AND ACCEPTED,

 

as of the date first above written:

 

 

 

MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH

 

INCORPORATED

 

CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS INC.

 

CREDIT SUISSE SECURITIES (USA) LLC

 

 

 

By:

MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH

 

INCORPORATED

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Chris Cormier

 

 

Name:

Chris Cormier

 

 

Title:

Managing Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS INC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Bryan Beller

 

 

Name:

Bryan Beller

 

 

Title:

Managing Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

CREDIT SUISSE SECURITIES (USA) LLC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Jeff Douthit

 

 

Name:

Jeff Douthit

 

 

Title:

Managing Director

 

 

For themselves and as Representative(s) of the other Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto.

 

[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]

 



 

SCHEDULE A

 

The initial public offering price of the Securities shall be 100% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued interest, if any, from the date of issuance.

 

The purchase price to be paid by the Underwriters for the Securities shall be 97.50% of the principal amount thereof.

 

The interest rate on the Securities shall be 4.00% per annum.

 

The conversion rate for the Securities shall be 9.7272 shares per $1,000 principal amount of the Securities.

 

Name of Underwriter

 

Principal
Amount of
Securities

 

 

 

 

 

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated

 

$

54,000,000

 

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC

 

27,000,000

 

Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

 

9,000,000

 

Total

 

$

90,000,000

 

 

Sch. A-1



 

SCHEDULE B

 

Free Writing Prospectuses

 

Final Term Sheet

 

Sch. B-1



 

List of Omitted Exhibits and Schedules

 

The following schedules and exhibits to the Underwriting Agreement, dated as of July 11, 2013, by and among Ascent Capital Group, Inc. and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. as representatives of the several underwriters named therein, have not been provided herein:

 

Schedules:

 

Schedule C - Final Term Sheet (see Issuer Free Writing Prospectus filed by Ascent Capital Group, Inc. on July 12, 2013, pursuant to Rule 433, Registration No. 333-189892, supplementing the Preliminary Prospectus dated July 11, 2013)

 

Schedule D - List of Persons Subject to Lock-Up

 

Schedule E - Target Subsidiaries

 

Exhibits:

 

Exhibit A - Form of Opinion of Company’s Counsel to be Delivered Pursuant to Section 5(b)

 

Exhibit B - Opinion of the General Counsel for the Parent to be Delivered Pursuant to Section 5 of the Underwriting Agreement

 

Exhibit C - Form of Lock-Up to be Delivered Pursuant to Section 5(i)

 

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to furnish supplementally a copy of any omitted exhibit or schedule to the Securities and Exchange Commission upon request.