Common stock offered by

EX-1.1 2 v97093a2exv1w1.txt EXHIBIT 1.1 EXHIBIT 1.1 BLUE NILE, INC. (a Delaware corporation) 3,740,000 Shares of Common Stock PURCHASE AGREEMENT Dated: _________, 2004 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BLUE NILE, INC. (a Delaware corporation) 3,740,000 Shares of Common Stock (Par Value $0.001 Per Share) PURCHASE AGREEMENT _________, 2004 MERRILL LYNCH & CO. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. as Representatives of the several Underwriters 4 World Financial Center New York, New York 10080 Ladies and Gentlemen: Blue Nile, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), and the persons listed in Schedule B hereto (the "Selling Stockholders"), confirm their respective agreements with Merrill Lynch & Co., 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 and Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., are acting as representatives (in such capacity, the "Representatives"), with respect to (i) the sale by the Company and the Selling Stockholders, acting severally and not jointly, and the purchase by the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of the respective numbers of shares of Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share, of the Company ("Common Stock") set forth in Schedules A and B hereto and (ii) the grant by the Company and the Selling Stockholders to the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of the option described in Section 2(b) hereof to purchase all or any part of 561,000 additional shares of Common Stock to cover overallotments, if any. The aforesaid 3,740,000 shares of Common Stock (the "Initial Securities") to be purchased by the Underwriters and all or any part of the 561,000 shares of Common Stock subject to the option described in Section 2(b) hereof (the "Option Securities") are hereinafter called, collectively, the "Securities". The Company and the Selling Stockholders understand that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of the Securities as soon as the Representatives deem(s) advisable after this Agreement has been executed and delivered. The Company, the Selling Stockholders and the Underwriters agree that up to [ ] shares of the Securities to be purchased by the Underwriters (the "Reserved Securities") shall be reserved for sale by the Underwriters to certain eligible employees and persons having business relationships with the Company (the "Invitees"), as part of the distribution of the Securities by the Underwriters, subject to the terms of this Agreement, the applicable rules, regulations and interpretations of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (the "NASD") and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations. To the extent that such Reserved Securities are not orally confirmed for purchase by Invitees by the end of the first business day after the date of this Agreement, such Reserved Securities may be offered to the public as part of the public offering contemplated hereby. The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") a registration statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-113494), including the related preliminary prospectus or prospectuses, covering the registration of the Securities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"). Promptly after execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company will prepare and file a prospectus in accordance with the provisions of Rule 430A ("Rule 430A") of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the 1933 Act (the "1933 Act Regulations") and paragraph (b) of Rule 424 ("Rule 424(b)") of the 1933 Act Regulations. The information included in such prospectus that was omitted from such registration statement at the time it became effective but that is deemed to be part of such registration statement at the time it became effective pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 430A is referred to as "Rule 430A Information." Each prospectus used before such registration statement became effective, and any prospectus that omitted the Rule 430A Information and that was used after such effectiveness and prior to the execution and delivery of this Agreement, is herein called a "preliminary prospectus." Such registration statement, including the exhibits and any schedules thereto, at the time it became effective, and including the Rule 430A Information, is herein called the "Registration Statement." Any registration statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) of the 1933 Act Regulations is herein referred to as the "Rule 462(b) Registration Statement," and after such filing the term "Registration Statement" shall include the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement. The final prospectus in the form first furnished to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offering of the Securities is herein called 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 ("EDGAR"). 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, as of the Closing Time referred to in Section 2(c) hereof, and as of each Date of Delivery (if any) referred to in Section 2(b) hereof, and agrees with each Underwriter, as follows: (i) Compliance with Registration Requirements. Each of the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto has become effective under the 1933 Act and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto has been issued under the 1933 Act and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, are contemplated by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information has been complied with. At the respective times the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement and any post-effective amendments thereto became effective and at the Closing Time (and, if any Option Securities are purchased, at the Date of Delivery), the Registration Statement, the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement complied and any amendments and supplements thereto will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations and did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and the Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus and any supplement thereto or prospectus wrapper prepared in connection therewith, at their respective times of issuance and at 2 the Closing Time, complied and will comply in all material respects with any applicable laws or regulations of foreign jurisdictions in which the Prospectus and such preliminary prospectus, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, are distributed in connection with the offer and sale of Reserved Securities. Neither the Prospectus nor any amendments or supplements thereto (including any prospectus wrapper), at the time the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement was issued and at the Closing Time (and, if any Option Securities are purchased, at the Date of Delivery), included or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted 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 representations and warranties in this subsection shall not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement or Prospectus made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through Merrill Lynch expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto) or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto). Each preliminary prospectus and the prospectus filed as part of the Registration Statement as originally filed or as part of any amendment thereto complied when so filed in all material respects with the 1933 Act Regulations and 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. (ii) Independent Accountants. The accountants who certified the financial statements and supporting schedules included in the Registration Statement are independent public accountants as required by the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations. Except as described in the Prospectus and as preapproved in accordance with the requirements set forth in Section 10A of the Exchange Act, Pricewaterhousecoopers LLP has not engaged in any "prohibited activities" (as defined in Section 10A of the Exchange Act) on behalf of the Company. (iii) Financial Statements. The financial statements included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, together with the related schedules and notes, present fairly the financial position of the Company and the Subsidiary (as hereinafter defined) at the dates indicated and the statement of operations, stockholders' equity and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries for the periods specified; said financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved. The supporting schedules included in the Registration Statement present fairly in accordance with GAAP the information required to be stated therein. The selected financial data and the summary financial information included in the Prospectus present fairly the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements included in the Registration Statement and consistent with the books and records of the Company. (iv) No Material Adverse Change in Business. Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, except as otherwise stated therein, (A) there has been no material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and the Subsidiary (as hereafter defined) considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business (a "Material Adverse Effect"), (B) there have been no transactions entered into by the Company or any of the Subsidiary, other than those in the ordinary course of business, which are material (individually or in the aggregate) with respect to the Company and the Subsidiary considered as one enterprise, (C) there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, 3 paid or made by the Company on any class of its capital stock, (D) there has not been any change in the capital stock (other than (i) upon the issuance or exercise of stock options granted pursuant to the Company's stock plans described in the Prospectus; (ii) the purchase of shares upon termination of service pursuant to agreements or plans described in the Prospectus; (iii) the conversion of preferred stock into common stock; or (iv) upon the exercise of warrants described in the Prospectus and outstanding prior to such dates) or long-term debt of the Company or the Subsidiary, and (E) the Company and the Subsidiary have not incurred any liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent, which are material individually or in the aggregate other than trade payables in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice. (v) Good Standing of the Company. The Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the state of Delaware and has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement; and the Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each other jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect. (vi) Good Standing of Subsidiary. Blue Nile, LLC (the "Subsidiary") has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing 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 where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect; except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, all of the issued and outstanding membership units of the Subsidiary have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and is owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity; none of the outstanding shares membership units of the Subsidiary was issued in violation of the preemptive or similar rights of any securityholder of the Subsidiary. The Subsidiary is the only subsidiary of the Company. (vii) Capitalization. The authorized, issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company is as set forth in the Prospectus in the column entitled "Actual" 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 Prospectus or pursuant to the exercise of options or warrants referred to in the Prospectus). The shares of issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company, including the Securities to be purchased by the Underwriters from the Selling Stockholders, have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; none of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company, including the Securities to be purchased by the Underwriters from the Selling Stockholders, was issued in violation of the preemptive or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company. Except as set forth in the Prospectus, no options, warrants or other rights to purchase, agreements or other obligations to issue, or rights to convert any obligations into or exchange any securities for, shares of capital stock of or ownership interests in the Company are outstanding as of the date set forth therein. All options, warrants and other rights to purchase shares of capital stock in the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, were issued in compliance with federal and state securities laws, and conform to the description thereof contained in the 4 Prospectus. The outstanding preferred stock of the Company will, upon the closing of the public offering contemplated by the Registration Statement, convert into shares of Common Stock. (viii) Authorization of Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company. (ix) Authorization and Description of Securities. The Securities to be purchased by the Underwriters from the Company have been duly authorized for issuance and sale to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement and, when issued and delivered by the Company pursuant to this Agreement against payment of the consideration set forth herein, will be validly issued and fully paid and non-assessable; the Common Stock conforms to all statements relating thereto contained in the Prospectus and such description conforms to the rights set forth in the instruments defining the same; no holder of the Securities will be subject to personal liability by reason of being such a holder; and the issuance of the Securities is not subject to the preemptive or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company. (x) Absence of Defaults and Conflicts. Neither the Company nor the Subsidiary is in violation of its charter or by-laws. Neither the Company nor the Subsidiary is in violation of any law, ordinance, governmental rule, regulation or court decree to which it or its property or assets may be subject or is (nor will either of them, with notice of any current or past condition or event or passage of time thereafter, be) in default in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or the Subsidiary is a party or by which it or they may be bound, or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or the Subsidiary is subject (collectively, "Agreements and Instruments") except for such defaults that would not result in a Material Adverse Effect or affect the validity of the Securities; and the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein and in the Registration Statement (including the issuance and sale of the Securities and the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities as described in the Prospectus under the caption "Use of Proceeds") and compliance by the Company with its obligations hereunder have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or passage of time or both, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default or Repayment Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or the Subsidiary pursuant to, the Agreements and Instruments (except for such conflicts, breaches, defaults or Repayment Events or liens, charges or encumbrances that would not result in a Material Adverse Effect or affect the validity of the Securities), nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws of the Company or the Subsidiary or any applicable law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any government, government instrumentality or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or the Subsidiary or any of its assets, properties or operations. As used herein, a "Repayment Event" means any event or condition which gives 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 the Subsidiary. (xi) Absence of Labor Dispute. No labor dispute with the employees of the Company or the Subsidiary exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent, and the Company is not aware of any existing or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of its or the Subsidiary's principal suppliers, manufacturers, customers or contractors, which, in either case, would result in a Material Adverse Effect. 5 (xii) Absence of Proceedings. There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation before or brought by any court or governmental agency or body, domestic or foreign, now pending, or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, against or affecting the Company or the Subsidiary, which is required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement (other than as disclosed therein), or which might result in a Material Adverse Effect, or which might materially and adversely affect the properties or assets thereof or the consummation of the transactions contemplated in this Agreement or the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder; the aggregate of all pending legal or governmental proceedings to which the Company or the Subsidiary is a party or of which any of their respective property or assets is the subject which are not described in the Registration Statement, including ordinary routine litigation incidental to the business, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. (xiii) Accuracy of Exhibits. There are no Agreements and Instruments or other documents which are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits thereto which have not been so described and filed as required. (xiv) Possession of Intellectual Property. The Company and the Subsidiary own or possess, or can acquire on reasonable terms, adequate patents, patent rights, licenses, inventions, copyrights, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names, Internet domain names or other intellectual property (collectively, "Intellectual Property") necessary to carry on the business now operated by them, and, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, neither the Company nor the Subsidiary has received any notice or is otherwise aware of any infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any Intellectual Property or of any facts or circumstances which would render any Intellectual Property invalid or inadequate to protect the interest of the Company or the Subsidiary therein, and which infringement or conflict (if the subject of any unfavorable decision, ruling or finding) or invalidity or inadequacy, singly or in the aggregate, would result in a Material Adverse Effect. (xv) Absence of Further Requirements. No filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any court or governmental authority or agency is necessary or required for the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder, in connection with the offering, issuance or sale of the Securities hereunder or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except (i) such as have been already obtained or as may be required under the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations or state securities laws or by the rules and regulations of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (the "NASD") in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Securities by the Underwriters and (ii) such as have been obtained under the laws and regulations of jurisdictions outside of the United States in which the Securities are offered. (xvi) 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 to or which has constituted or which would be expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities. (xvii) Possession of Licenses and Permits. The Company and the Subsidiary possess such permits, licenses, approvals, consents and other authorizations (collectively, "Governmental Licenses") issued by the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign regulatory agencies or bodies necessary to conduct the business now operated by them, except where the failure so to possess 6 would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect; the Company and the Subsidiary are in compliance with the terms and conditions of all such Governmental Licenses, except where the failure so to comply would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect; all of the Governmental Licenses are valid and in full force and effect, except when the invalidity of such Governmental Licenses or the failure of such Governmental Licenses to be in full force and effect would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect; and neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiary has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such Governmental Licenses which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would result in a Material Adverse Effect. (xviii) Title to Property. Neither the Company nor the Subsidiary owns any real property. The Company and the Subsidiary have good title to all properties owned by them, in each case, free and clear of all mortgages, pledges, liens, security interests, claims, restrictions or encumbrances of any kind except such as (a) are described in the Prospectus or (b) do not, singly or in the aggregate, materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company or the Subsidiary; and all of the leases and subleases material to the business of the Company and the Subsidiary, considered as one enterprise, and under which the Company or the Subsidiary holds properties described in the Prospectus, are in full force and effect, and neither the Company nor the Subsidiary has any notice of any material claim of any sort that has been asserted by anyone adverse to the rights of the Company or the Subsidiary under any of the leases or subleases mentioned above, or affecting or questioning the rights of the Company or the Subsidiary to the continued possession of the leased or subleased premises under any such lease or sublease. (xix) Investment Company Act. The Company is not required, and upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated and the application of the net proceeds therefrom as described in the Prospectus will not be required, to register as an "investment company" under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"). (xx) Environmental Laws. Except as described in the Registration Statement or except as would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect, (A) neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiary is in violation of any federal, state, local or foreign statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, code, policy or rule of common law or any judicial or administrative interpretation thereof, including any judicial or administrative order, consent, decree or judgment, relating to pollution or protection of human health, the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including, without limitation, laws and regulations relating to the release or threatened release of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous substances, petroleum or petroleum products, asbestos-containing materials or mold (collectively, "Hazardous Materials") or to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials (collectively, "Environmental Laws"), (B) the Company and the Subsidiary have all permits, authorizations and approvals required under any applicable Environmental Laws and are each in compliance with their requirements, (C) there are no pending or threatened administrative, regulatory or judicial actions, suits, demands, demand letters, claims, liens, notices of noncompliance or violation, investigation or proceedings relating to any Environmental Law against the Company or the Subsidiary and (D) there are no events or circumstances that would reasonably be expected to form the basis of an order for clean-up or remediation, or an action, suit or proceeding by any private party or governmental body or agency, against or affecting the Company or any of the Subsidiary relating to Hazardous Materials or any Environmental Laws. 7 (xxi) Registration Rights. Other than rights that have been effectively waived and the rights of the Selling Stockholders to sell the Securities held by them as contemplated by this Agreement there are no persons with registration rights or other similar rights to have any securities registered pursuant to the Registration Statement. Except as described in the Prospectus, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such person the right to require the Company to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any securities of the Company owned or to be owned by such person or to require the Company to include such securities in any securities being registered pursuant to any other registration statement filed by the Company under the Securities Act. (xxii) Capital Stock. The statements set forth in the Prospectus under the caption "Description of Capital Stock," insofar as they purport to constitute a summary of the terms of the Securities, are accurate summaries and descriptions of such terms and provisions in all material respects. (xxiii) Accounting Controls. The Company maintains a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management's general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management's general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. (xxiv) No Additional Authorization. No authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration or qualification of or with any government, governmental instrumentality or court, other than such as have been obtained and other than such authorizations, approvals, consents, orders, registrations and qualifications that if not obtained would not have a Material Adverse Effect, is required in connection with the offering of the Reserved Securities in any jurisdiction in which the Reserved Securities are being offered. (xxv) No Offers. The Company has not offered, or caused the Underwriters to offer, Reserved Shares to any person with the specific intent to unlawfully influence (i) a customer or supplier of the Company to alter the customer's or supplier's level or type of business with the Company, or (ii) a trade journalist or publication to write or publish favorable information about the Company or its products. (xxvi) Benefit Plans. Each Company "employee benefit plan" within the meaning of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder ("ERISA") has been established and maintained in all material respects in accordance with ERISA; to the Company's knowledge, no "reportable event" (as defined in ERISA) has occurred with respect to any "pension plan" (as defined in ERISA) for which the Company would have any material liability; the Company has not incurred and does not reasonably expect to incur material liability under (i) Title IV of ERISA with respect to termination of, or withdrawal from, any "pension plan" or (ii) Sections 412 or 4971 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (the "CODE"); and each "pension plan" for which the Company would have any liability that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is and has received a favorable determination, notification, advisory and/or opinion letter with respect to such status from the IRS or has time remaining to apply under applicable Treasury Regulation or 8 IRS pronouncement for a determination, notification, advisory and/or opinion letter and to make any necessary amendments, and, to the Company's knowledge, nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which would reasonably be expected to cause the loss of such qualification. (xxvii) Taxes. The Company has filed all federal, state and local income and franchise tax returns required to be filed through the date hereof and has paid all taxes due thereon, and no tax deficiency has been determined adversely to the Company or the Subsidiary which has had (nor does the Company have any knowledge of any tax deficiency which, if determined adversely to the Company or the Subsidiary, might have) a Material Adverse Effect. (xxviii) Unlawful Payments. Neither the Company nor the Subsidiary, nor to the Company's knowledge any director, officer, agent, employee or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, has used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; made any direct or indirect unlawful payment to any foreign or domestic government official or employee from corporate funds; violated or is in violation of any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977; or made any bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment. (xxix) Disclosure Controls and Procedures. The Company has established and maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-14 and 15d-14 under the Exchange Act), which (i) are designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to the Company's principal executive officer and its principal financial officer by others within those entities; and (ii) are effective in all material respects to perform the functions for which they were established. The Company is not aware of any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Company's internal controls. Since the date of the most recent evaluation of the Company's 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. Upon the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, the Company will be in compliance with all provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 that are effective and applicable to the Company as an "issuer" as defined under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. (xxx) Off-Balance Sheet Transactions. Except as described in the Prospectus, there are no material off-balance sheet transactions, arrangements, obligations (including contingent obligations), or any other relationships with unconsolidated entities or other persons, that may have a material current or future effect on the Company's financial condition, changes in financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures, capital resources, or significant components of revenues or expenses. (xxxi) Audit Committee. The Company's Board of Directors has validly appointed an audit committee whose composition satisfies the requirements of Rule 4350(d) of the Rules of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (the "NASD RULES") and Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act, and the Board of Directors of the Company and/or the audit committee has adopted a charter that satisfies the requirements of Rule 4350(d) of the NASD Rules. The audit committee has reviewed the adequacy of its charter within the past twelve months. (xxxii) Insurance. The Company carries, or is covered by, insurance with insurers of recognized reputability in such amounts and covering such risks as it believes is commercially 9 reasonable in light of the business presently conducted by the Company, all of which insurance is in full force and effect, and the Company has no 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 from similar insurers at a cost, that would not, single or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, and there are no claims by the Company of any material amount under any such policy as to which any insurer is denying liability or defending under a reservation of rights claim and the Company has not received notice from any insurer or agent of such insurer that substantial capital improvements or other material expenditures will have to be made in order to continue such insurance. (xxxiii) Privacy. (A) "Privacy Statements" means, collectively, any and all of the Company's privacy statements and policies published on Company web sites or products or otherwise made available by Company regarding the collection, retention, use, and distribution of the personal information of individuals, including, without limitation, from visitors or users of any Company web sites or products ("Individuals"). (B) The Company: (i) complies with the Privacy Statements as applicable to any given set of personal information collected by the Company from Individuals; (ii) complies in all material respects with all applicable United States and foreign laws and regulations regarding the collection, retention, use, transfer, or disclosure of personal information; and (iii) takes reasonable measures to protect and maintain the confidential nature of the personal information provided to the Company by Individuals, in accordance with the terms of the applicable Privacy Statements. (C) To the Company's knowledge, no claims or controversies have arisen regarding the Privacy Statements or the implementation thereof. (xxxiv) Spam. The Company's email direct marketing activities have not violated in any material respect, the CAN-SPAM Act or any other federal or state law or regulation applicable to electronic direct marketing. (xxxv) Minute Books. The minute books of the Company and the Subsidiary have been made available to the Underwriters and counsel for the Underwriters, and such books (i) contain a summary of all meetings and actions of the board of directors (including each committee thereof) and stockholders of the Company and the member of the Subsidiary since the time of its respective formation through the date of the latest meeting and action, and (ii) accurately in all material respects reflect all resolutions adopted at such meetings or actions referred to in such minutes. (b) Representations and Warranties by the Selling Stockholders. Each Selling Stockholder severally represents and warrants to each Underwriter as of the date hereof, as of the Closing Time, and, if the Selling Stockholder is selling Option Securities on a Date of Delivery, as of each such Date of Delivery, and agrees with each Underwriter, as follows: (i) Authorization of this Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by or on behalf of such Selling Stockholder. 10 (ii) Authorization of Power of Attorney and Custody Agreement. The Power of Attorney and Custody Agreement, in the form heretofore furnished to the Representatives (the "Power of Attorney and Custody Agreement"), has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by such Selling Stockholder and is the valid and binding agreement of such Selling Stockholder. (iii) Noncontravention. The execution and delivery of this Agreement and the Power of Attorney and Custody Agreement and the sale and delivery of the Securities to be sold by such Selling Stockholder and the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein and compliance by such Selling Stockholder with its obligations hereunder do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or passage of time or both, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default under, or result in the creation or imposition of any tax, lien, charge or encumbrance upon the Securities to be sold by such Selling Stockholder or any property or assets of such Selling Stockholder pursuant to any contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement, note, license, lease or other agreement or instrument to which such Selling Stockholder is a party or by which such Selling Stockholder may be bound, or to which any of the property or assets of such Selling Stockholder is subject, nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws or other organizational instrument of such Selling Stockholder, if applicable, or any applicable treaty, law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any government, government instrumentality or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over such Selling Stockholder or any of its properties. (iv) Certificates Suitable for Transfer. The Securities to be sold by such Selling Stockholder pursuant to this Agreement are certificated securities in registered form and are not held in any securities account or by or through any securities intermediary within the meaning of the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect in the State of New York (the "UCC"). Certificates for all of the Securities to be sold by such Selling Stockholder pursuant to this Agreement, in suitable form for transfer by delivery or accompanied by duly executed instruments of transfer or assignment in blank with signatures guaranteed, have been placed in custody with Mellon Investor Services, LLC (the "Custodian") with irrevocable conditional instructions to deliver such Securities to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement. (v) Valid Title. Such Selling Stockholder has, and at the Closing Time will have, valid title to the Securities to be sold by such Selling Stockholder free and clear of all security interests, claims, liens, equities or other encumbrances and the legal right and power, and all authorization and approval required by law, to enter into this Agreement and the Power of Attorney and Custody Agreement and to sell, transfer and deliver the Securities to be sold by such Selling Stockholder. (vi) Delivery of Securities. Upon the Underwriters' acquiring possession of the Securities to be sold by such Selling Stockholder and paying the purchase price therefor pursuant to this Agreement, the Underwriters (assuming that no such Underwriter has notice of any "adverse claim," within the meaning of Section 8-105 of the UCC to such Securities) will acquire their respective interests in such Securities (including, without limitation, all rights that such Selling Stockholder had or has the power to transfer in such Securities) free and clear of any adverse claim within the meaning of Section 8-102 of the UCC. (vii) Absence of Manipulation. Such Selling Stockholder has not taken, and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action which is designed to or which has constituted or would be expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities. 11 (viii) Absence of Further Requirements. No filing with, or consent, approval, authorization, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any court or governmental authority or agency, domestic or foreign, is necessary or required for the performance by each Selling Stockholder of its obligations hereunder or in the Power of Attorney and Custody Agreement, or in connection with the sale and delivery of the Securities hereunder or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except (i) such as may have previously been made or obtained or as may be required under the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations, state securities laws or pursuant to the rules and regulations of the NASD and (ii) such as have been obtained under the laws and regulations of jurisdictions outside the United States in which the Reserved Securities are offered. (ix) Authorization. The Lock-Up Agreement in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit A (the "Lock-Up Agreement") has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by or on behalf of such Selling Stockholder. Such Selling Stockholder has all requisite power and authority to execute and deliver the Lock-Up Agreement and to carry out and perform its obligations under the terms of the Lock-Up Agreement. All action on the part of the Selling Stockholder necessary for the authorization, execution, delivery and performance of the Lock-Up Agreement, and the performance of all of the Selling Stockholder's obligations under the Lock-Up Agreement, has been taken. The Lock-Up Agreement constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of such Selling Stockholder, enforceable in accordance with its terms. (x) No Association with NASD. Except as disclosed to the Representatives, neither such Selling Stockholder nor any of its affiliates directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, or is controlled by, or is under common control with, or is a person associated with (within the meaning of Article I (dd) of the By-laws of the NASD), any member firm of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (c) Officer's Certificates. Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any of the Subsidiary delivered to the Representatives 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; and any certificate signed by or on behalf of the Selling Stockholders as such and delivered to the Representatives or to counsel for the Underwriters pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall be deemed a representation and warranty by such Selling Stockholders to the Underwriters 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 and each Selling Stockholder, severally and not jointly, agree to sell to each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, and each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase from the Company and each Selling Stockholder, at the price per share set forth in Schedule C, that proportion of the number of Initial Securities set forth in Schedule B opposite the name of the Company or such Selling Stockholder, as the case may be, which the number of Initial Securities set forth in Schedule A opposite the name of such Underwriter, plus any additional number of Initial Securities which such Underwriter may become obligated to purchase pursuant to the provisions of Section 10 hereof, bears to the total number of Initial Securities, subject, in each case, to such adjustments among the Underwriters as the Representatives in its sole discretion shall make to eliminate any sales or purchases of fractional securities. (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 and the Selling 12 Stockholders, acting severally and not jointly, hereby grant(s) an option to the Underwriters, severally and not jointly, to purchase up to an additional 561,000 shares of Common Stock, as set forth in Schedule B, at the price per share set forth in Schedule C, less an amount per share equal to any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the Initial Securities but not payable on the Option Securities. The option hereby granted will expire 30 days after the date hereof and may be exercised in whole or in part from time to time only for the purpose of covering overallotments which may be made in connection with the offering and distribution of the Initial Securities upon notice by Merrill Lynch to the Company and the Selling Stockholders setting forth the number of Option Securities as to which the several Underwriters are then exercising the option and the time and date of payment and delivery for such Option Securities. Any such time and date of delivery (a "Date of Delivery") shall be determined by Merrill Lynch, but shall not be later than seven full business days after the exercise of said option, nor in any event prior to the Closing Time, as hereinafter defined. 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 number 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 number of Initial Securities, subject in each case to such adjustments as Merrill Lynch in its discretion shall make to eliminate any sales or purchases of fractional shares. If a portion of the option is exercised, the exercise will be allocated pro rata among the Company and the Selling Stockholders, unless otherwise agreed to by the Company, the Selling Stockholders and the Underwriters. (c) Payment. Payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of certificates for, the Initial Securities shall be made at the offices of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, 5300 Carillon Point, Kirkland, Washington 98033, or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company and the Selling Stockholders, at 9:00 A.M. (Eastern time) on the third (fourth, if the pricing occurs after 4:30 P.M. (Eastern time)) 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 Representatives and the Company and the Selling Stockholders (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 Representatives and the Company and the Selling Stockholders, on each Date of Delivery as specified in the notice from the Representatives to the Company and the Selling Stockholders. Payment shall be made to the Company and the Selling Stockholders by wire transfer of immediately available funds to bank accounts designated by the Company and the Custodian pursuant to each Selling Stockholder's Power of Attorney and Custody Agreement, as the case may be, against delivery to the Representatives 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 Representatives, 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 representatives 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. (d) Denominations; Registration. Certificates for the Initial Securities and the Option Securities, if any, shall be in such denominations and registered in such names as the Representatives may request in writing at least one full business day before the Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, 13 as the case may be. The certificates for the Initial Securities and the Option Securities, if any, will be made available for examination and packaging by the Representatives in The City of New York not later than 10:00 A.M. (Eastern time) on the business day prior to the Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, as the case may be. 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 430A or Rule 434, as applicable, and will notify the Representatives immediately, and confirm the notice in writing, (i) when any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement shall become effective, or any supplement to the Prospectus or any amended 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 or for additional information, and (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary 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. The Company will promptly effect the filings necessary pursuant to Rule 424(b) 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 and, if any stop order is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment. (b) Filing of Amendments. The Company will give the Representatives notice of its intention to file or prepare any amendment to the Registration Statement (including any filing under Rule 462(b)) or any amendment, supplement or revision to either the prospectus included in the Registration Statement at the time it became effective or to the Prospectus, will furnish the Representatives with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing or use, as the case may be, and will not file or use any such document to which the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters shall object. (c) Delivery of Registration Statements. The Company has furnished or will deliver to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters, without charge, signed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto (including exhibits filed therewith or incorporated by reference therein) and signed copies of all consents and certificates of experts, and will also deliver to the Representatives, without charge, a conformed copy of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of 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 the Prospectus is 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. 14 (e) Continued Compliance with Securities Laws. The Company will comply with the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Securities as contemplated in this Agreement and in the Prospectus. If at any time when a prospectus is 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 amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order that the Prospectus will not include any untrue statements 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 if it shall be necessary, in the opinion of such counsel, at any such time to amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to comply with the requirements of the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations, the Company will promptly prepare and file with the Commission, subject to Section 3(b), such amendment or supplement as may be necessary to correct such statement or omission or to make the Registration Statement or the Prospectus comply with such requirements, and the Company will furnish to the Underwriters such number of copies of such amendment or supplement as the Underwriters may reasonably request. (f) Blue Sky Qualifications. The Company will use its best efforts, in cooperation 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 Representatives may designate and to maintain such qualifications in effect for a period of not less than one year from the later of the effective date of the Registration Statement and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement; 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. (g) Rule 158. The Company will timely file such reports pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (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 the benefits contemplated by, the last paragraph of Section 11(a) of the 1933 Act. (h) 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 Prospectus under "Use of Proceeds". (i) Listing. The Company will use its best efforts to effect and maintain the quotation of the Securities on the Nasdaq National Market. (j) Restriction on Sale of Securities. During a period of 180 days from the date of the Prospectus, 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 share 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 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, (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 referred to in the Prospectus, (C) any shares of Common Stock issued or options to purchase Common Stock granted pursuant to existing employee benefit plans of the Company referred to in the Prospectus or (D) any shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to any non-employee director stock plan. 15 (k) Reporting Requirements. The Company, during the period when the Prospectus is 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 the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. (l) Compliance with NASD Rules. The Company hereby agrees that it will ensure that the Reserved Securities will be restricted as required by the NASD or the NASD rules from sale, transfer, assignment, pledge or hypothecation for a period of three months following the date of this Agreement. The Underwriters will notify the Company as to which persons will need to be so restricted. At the request of the Underwriters, the Company will direct the transfer agent to place a stop transfer restriction upon such securities for such period of time. Should the Company release, or seek to release, from such restrictions any of the Reserved Securities, the Company agrees to reimburse the Underwriters for any reasonable expenses (including, without limitation, legal expenses) they incur in connection with such release. SECTION 4. Payment of Expenses. (a) Expenses. The Company and the Selling Stockholders 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 of each amendment thereto, (ii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Underwriters of this Agreement, any Agreement among Underwriters and such other documents as may be required in connection with the offering, purchase, sale, issuance or delivery of the Securities, (iii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the certificates for the Securities to the Underwriters, including any stock or other transfer taxes and any stamp or other duties payable upon the sale, issuance or delivery of the Securities to the Underwriters, (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(f) 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, such fees and disbursement of counsel not to exceed $15,000, (vi) the printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of each preliminary prospectus and of the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, (vii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of the Blue Sky Survey and any supplement thereto, (viii) the fees and expenses of any transfer agent or registrar for the Securities, (ix) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any "road show" undertaken in connection with the marketing of the Securities, including without limitation, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations with the prior written approval of the Company, travel and lodging expenses of the officers of the Company and with the prior written approval of the Company any such consultants, and the cost of aircraft and other transportation chartered in connection with the road show and (x) the filing fees incident to, and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters in connection with, the review by the NASD of the terms of the sale of the Securities and (xi) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the inclusion of the Securities in the Nasdaq National Market and (xii ) all costs and expenses of the Underwriters, including the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters, in connection with matters related to the Reserved Securities which are designated by the Company for sale to Invitees. (b) Expenses of the Selling Stockholders. The Selling Stockholders, jointly and severally, will pay all expenses incident to the performance of their respective obligations under, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including (i) any stamp duties, capital duties and stock transfer taxes, if any, payable upon the sale of the Securities to the Underwriters, and their transfer between the Underwriters pursuant to an agreement between such Underwriters, and (ii) the 16 fees and disbursements of their respective counsel and other advisors. The Company will not be responsible for the underwriting discounts and commission on the securities sold by the Selling Stockholders hereunder. (c) Termination of Agreement. If this Agreement is terminated by the Representatives in accordance with the provisions of Section 5, Section 9(a)(i) or Section 11 hereof, the Company and the Selling Stockholders shall reimburse the Underwriters for all of their out-of-pocket expenses, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters. (d) Allocation of Expenses. The provisions of this Section shall not affect any agreement that the Company and the Selling Stockholders may make for the sharing of such costs and expenses. 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 and the Selling Stockholders contained in Section 1 hereof or in certificates of any officer of the Company or the Subsidiary of the Company or on behalf of any Selling Stockholder delivered pursuant to the provisions hereof, 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, including any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, has become effective and at Closing Time no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued under the 1933 Act or proceedings therefor initiated or threatened by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of counsel to the Underwriters. A prospectus containing the Rule 430A Information shall have been filed with the Commission in accordance with Rule 424(b) (or a post-effective amendment providing such information shall have been filed and declared effective in accordance with the requirements of Rule 430A). (b) Opinion of Counsel for Company. At Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received the favorable opinion, dated as of Closing Time, of Cooley Godward LLP, counsel for the Company, 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. (c) Opinion of Counsel for the Selling Stockholders. At Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received the favorable opinion, dated as of Closing Time, of respective counsel for each of the Selling Stockholders, 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 B hereto. (d) Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters. At Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received the favorable opinion, dated as of Closing Time, of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation, counsel for the Underwriters, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters with respect to the matters set forth in clauses (i), (ii), (v), (vi) (solely as to preemptive or other similar rights arising by operation of law or under the charter or by-laws of the Company), (viii) through (x), inclusive, (xi), (xiii) (solely as to the information in the Prospectus under "Description of Capital Stock--Common Stock") and the penultimate paragraph of Exhibit A hereto. 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 Washington and the State of New York, the federal law of the United States and the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, upon the opinions of counsel satisfactory to the Representatives. Such counsel may also state that, insofar as such opinion involves 17 factual matters, they have relied, to the extent they deem proper, upon certificates of officers of the Company and the Subsidiary and certificates of public officials. (e) Officers' Certificates. (i) At Closing Time, there shall not have been, since the date hereof or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Prospectus, any material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and the Subsidiary considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, and the Representatives shall have received a certificate of the President or a Vice President of the Company and of the chief financial or chief accounting officer of the Company, dated as of Closing Time, to the effect that (A) there has been no such material adverse change, (B) the representations and warranties in Section 1(a) hereof are true and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of Closing Time, (C) the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to Closing Time, and (D) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to their knowledge, contemplated by the Commission; and (ii) At Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received a certificate executed by the Chief Financial Officer of the Company on behalf of the Company, dated as of the Closing Time, in the form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives. (f) Certificate of Selling Stockholders. At Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received a certificate of an Attorney-in-Fact on behalf of each Selling Stockholder, dated as of Closing Time, to the effect that (i) the representations and warranties of each Selling Stockholder contained in Section 1(b) hereof (and, in the case of the Insider Selling Stockholders, the additional representations and warranties of the Insider Selling Stockholders contained in Section 1(c) hereof) are true and correct in all respects with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of Closing Time and (ii) each Selling Stockholder has complied in all material respects with all agreements and all conditions on its part to be performed under this Agreement at or prior to Closing Time. (g) Accountant's Comfort Letter. At the time of the execution of this Agreement, the Representatives shall have received from PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP a letter dated such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, 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 and the Prospectus. (h) Bring-down Comfort Letter. At Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received from PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP a letter, dated as of Closing Time, to the effect that they reaffirm the statements made in the letter furnished pursuant to subsection (g) of this Section, except that the specified date referred to shall be a date not more than three business days prior to Closing Time. (i) Approval of Listing. At Closing Time, the Securities shall have been approved for inclusion in the Nasdaq National Market, subject only to official notice of issuance. (j) No Objection. The NASD has confirmed that it has not raised any objection with respect to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements. 18 (k) Lock-up Agreements. At the date of this Agreement, the Representatives shall have received an agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit C hereto signed by the persons listed on Schedule D hereto. (l) 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 and the Selling Stockholders contained herein and the statements in any certificates furnished by the Company, the Subsidiary of the Company and the Selling Stockholders hereunder shall be true and correct as of each Date of Delivery and, at the relevant Date of Delivery, the Representatives 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(e) hereof remains true and correct as of such Date of Delivery. (ii) Certificate of Selling Stockholders. A certificate, dated such Date of Delivery, of an Attorney-in-Fact on behalf of each Selling Stockholder confirming that the certificate delivered at Closing Time pursuant to Section 5(f) remains true and correct as of such Date of Delivery. (iii) Opinion of Counsel for Company. The favorable opinion of Cooley Godward LLP, counsel for the Company, 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. (iv) Opinion of Counsel for the Selling Stockholders. The favorable opinion of the respective counsel for each of the Selling Stockholders, 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(c) hereof. (v) Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters. The favorable opinion of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation, 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(d) hereof. (vi) Bring-down Comfort Letter. A letter from PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives and dated such Date of Delivery, substantially in the same form and substance as the letter furnished to the Representatives pursuant to Section 5(g) hereof, except that the "specified date" in the letter furnished pursuant to this paragraph shall be a date not more than five days prior to such Date of Delivery. (m) Additional Documents. At Closing Time and at each Date of Delivery counsel for the Underwriters shall have been furnished with such documents and opinions as they may require for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale 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 and the Selling Stockholders in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated shall be satisfactory in form and substance to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters. 19 (n) 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 Representatives by notice to the Company and the Selling Stockholders 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 and 8 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 contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430A Information 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 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 below) any such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company; (iii) against any and all expense whatsoever, as incurred (including the 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 reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through Merrill Lynch expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430A Information, or any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto); and provided, further, that neither the Company nor any Selling Stockholder will be liable to any Underwriter with respect to any Prospectus to the extent that the Company or such Selling Stockholder shall sustain the burden of proving that any such loss, liability, claim, damage or expense resulted from the fact that such Underwriter, in contravention of a requirement of this Agreement or applicable law, sold Securities to a person to whom such Underwriter failed to send or give, at or prior to the Closing Date, a copy of the Final Prospectus, as then amended or 20 supplemented if: (i) the Company has previously furnished copies thereof (sufficiently in advance of the Closing Date to allow for distribution by the Closing Date) to the Underwriter and the loss, liability, claim, damage or expense of such Underwriter resulted from an untrue statement or omission of a material fact contained in or omitted from the Preliminary Prospectus which was correct in the Final Prospectus as, if applicable, amended or supplemented prior to the Closing Date and such Final Prospectus was required by law to be delivered at or prior to the written confirmation of sale to such person and (ii) such failure to give or send such Final Prospectus by the Closing Date to the party or parties asserting such loss, liability, claim, damage or expense would have constituted the sole defense to the claim asserted by such person. (b) Selling Stockholder Indemnification of Underwriters Each Selling Stockholder, severally and not jointly, agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its Affiliates and 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 to the extent and in the manner set forth in clauses (a) (i), (ii) and (iii) above, but only to the extent that the untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to such Selling Stockholder furnished in writing by or on behalf of such Selling Stockholder expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendments or supplements thereto. The liability of each Selling Stockholder under the indemnity agreement contained in this paragraph 6(b) shall be limited to an amount equal to the net proceeds received by such Selling Stockholder from the offering of the Securities sold by such Selling Stockholder pursuant to this Agreement. (c) Indemnification of Company, Directors and Officers and Selling Stockholders. 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, and each Selling Stockholder and each person, if any, who controls any Selling Stockholder 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 the Rule 430A Information or any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through Merrill Lynch expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto) or such preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto). (d) 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) or 6(b) above, counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected by Merrill Lynch, and, in the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 6(c) 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 21 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. (e) 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), 6(b) (by virtue of its reference to Section 6(a)(ii)) or settlement of any claim in connection with any violation referred to in Section 6(f) effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 45 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. (f) Indemnification for Reserved Securities. In connection with the offer and sale of the Reserved Securities, the Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriters, their Affiliates and selling agents and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of either Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act, from and against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense (including, without limitation, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with defending, investigating or settling any such action or claim), as incurred, (i) arising out of the violation of any applicable laws or regulations of foreign jurisdictions where Reserved Securities have been offered; (ii) arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any prospectus wrapper or other material prepared by or with the consent of the Company for distribution to Invitees in connection with the offering of the Reserved Securities or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; (iii) caused by the failure of any Invitee to pay for and accept delivery of Reserved Securities which have been orally confirmed for purchase by any Invitee by the end of the first business day after the date of the Agreement; or (iv) related to, or arising out of or in connection with, the offering of the Reserved Securities. (g) Other Agreements with Respect to Indemnification. The provisions of this Section shall not affect any agreement among the Company and the Selling Stockholders with respect to indemnification. 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 and the Selling Stockholders on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand from the offering of the Securities 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 and the Selling Stockholders on the one hand and of the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions, or in connection with any violation of the nature referred to in Section 6(e) hereof, which 22 resulted in such losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company and the Selling Stockholders 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 and the Selling Stockholders and the total underwriting discount received by the Underwriters, 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 and the Selling Stockholders 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 the Selling Stockholders or by the Underwriters and the parties' relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission or any violation of the nature referred to in Section 6(e) hereof. The Underwriters acknowledge and agree that the statements relating to each Selling Stockholder under the caption "Principal and Selling Stockholders" in the Prospectus constitute the only information furnished in writing by or on behalf of such Selling Stockholder expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendments or supplements thereto. The Company, the Selling Stockholders 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 amount by which the total price at which the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission and no Selling Stockholder shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the net proceeds received by such Selling Stockholder from the sale of its securities pursuant to this Agreement. 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 or any Selling Stockholder 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 or such Selling Stockholder, as the case may be. The Underwriters' respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this 23 Section 7 are several in proportion to the number of Initial Securities set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule A hereto and not joint. The provisions of this Section shall not affect any agreement among the Company and the Selling Stockholders with respect to contribution. 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 the Subsidiary or the Selling Stockholders 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 agents, any person controlling any Underwriter, its officers or directors, any person controlling the Company or any person controlling any Selling Stockholder and (ii) delivery of and payment for the Securities. SECTION 9. Termination of Agreement. (a) Termination; General. The Representatives may terminate this Agreement, by notice to the Company and the Selling Stockholders, at any time at or prior to Closing Time (i) if there has been, since the time of execution of this Agreement or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Prospectus, any material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and the Subsidiary considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, 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 Representatives, impracticable or inadvisable to market the Securities 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, the NASD or the Nasdaq National Market, or if trading generally on the American Stock Exchange or the New York Stock Exchange or in the Nasdaq National 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 such system or by order of the Commission, the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. or any other governmental authority, or (iv) a material disruption has occurred in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States, or (v) if a banking moratorium has been declared by either Federal, Washington 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 and 8 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 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 Representatives 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 Representatives shall not have completed such arrangements within such 24-hour period, then: 24 (i) if the number of Defaulted Securities does not exceed 10% of the number of 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 number of 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 of 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. 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) Representatives or (ii) the Company and any Selling Stockholder 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 or 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. Default by one or more of the Selling Stockholders or the Company. (a) If a Selling Stockholder shall fail at Closing Time or at a Date of Delivery to sell and deliver the number of Securities which such Selling Stockholder or Selling Stockholders are obligated to sell hereunder, and the remaining Selling Stockholders do not exercise the right hereby granted to increase, pro rata or otherwise, the number of Securities to be sold by them hereunder to the total number to be sold by all Selling Stockholders as set forth in Schedule B hereto, then the Underwriters may, at option of the Representatives, by notice from the Representatives to the Company and the non-defaulting Selling Stockholders, either (i) terminate this Agreement without any liability on the fault of any non-defaulting party except that the provisions of Sections 1, 4, 6, 7 and 8 shall remain in full force and effect or (ii) elect to purchase the Securities which the non-defaulting Selling Stockholders and the Company have agreed to sell hereunder. No action taken pursuant to this Section 11 shall relieve any Selling Stockholder so defaulting from liability, if any, in respect of such default. In the event of a default by any Selling Stockholder as referred to in this Section 11, Representatives, the Company and the non-defaulting Selling Stockholders shall have the right to postpone Closing Time or Date of Delivery for a period not exceeding seven days in order to effect any required change in the Registration Statement or Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements. (b) If the Company shall fail at Closing Time or at the Date of Delivery to sell the number of Securities that it is obligated to sell hereunder, then this Agreement shall terminate without any liability on the part of any nondefaulting party; provided, however, that the provisions of Sections 1, 4, 6, 7 and 8 shall remain in full force and effect. No action taken pursuant to this Section shall relieve the Company from liability, if any, in respect of such default. SECTION 12. Tax Disclosure. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, from the commencement of discussions with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby, the Company (and each employee, representatives or other agent of the Company) may disclose to any and all persons, 25 without limitation of any kind, the tax treatment and tax structure (as such terms are used in Sections 6011, 6111 and 6112 of the U.S. Code and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder) of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and all materials of any kind (including opinions or other tax analyses) that are provided relating to such tax treatment and tax structure. SECTION 13. 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 the Representatives at 4 World Financial Center, New York, New York 10080, attention of ; notices to the Company shall be directed to it at 705 Fifth Avenue, Suite 900, Seattle, Washington 98104, attention of Diane M. Irvine; and notices to the Selling Stockholders shall be directed to the Company, attention of Diane M. Irvine. SECTION 14. Parties. This Agreement shall each inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Stockholders 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, the Company and the Selling Stockholders 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, the Company and the Selling Stockholders 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 15. GOVERNING LAW. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. SECTION 16. 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 17. 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 18. Effect of Headings. The Section headings herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof. 26 If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to the Company and the Attorney-in-Fact for the Selling Stockholders a counterpart hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts, will become a binding agreement among the Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Stockholders in accordance with its terms. Very truly yours, BLUE NILE, INC. By ------------------------------------------- Title: [ ] By ------------------------------------------- As Attorney-in-Fact acting on behalf of the Selling Stockholders named in Schedule B hereto CONFIRMED AND ACCEPTED, as of the date first above written: MERRILL LYNCH & CO. MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED By --------------------------------------- Authorized Signatory BEAR, STEARNS & CO. INC. By --------------------------------------- Authorized Signatory For itself and as Representatives of the other Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto. 27 SCHEDULE A

Sch A-1 SCHEDULE B

Sch B-1 SCHEDULE C BLUE NILE, INC. 3,740,000 Shares of Common Stock (Par Value $0.001 Per Share) 1. The initial public offering price per share for the Securities, determined as provided in said Section 2, shall be $ . 2. The purchase price per share for the Securities to be paid by the several Underwriters shall be $ , being an amount equal to the initial public offering price set forth above less $ per share; provided that the purchase price per share for any Option Securities purchased upon the exercise of the overallotment option described in Section 2(b) shall be reduced by an amount per share equal to any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the Initial Securities but not payable on the Option Securities. Sch C-1 [SCHEDULE D] [List of persons and entities subject to lock-up] Sch D - 1 EXHIBIT A FORM OF OPINION OF COMPANY'S COUNSEL TO BE DELIVERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 5(b) 1. The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, with full corporate power and authority to own or lease, as the case may be, to operate its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus, to execute an deliver the Purchase Agreement, to perform the Company's obligations under the Purchase Agreement and to issue the Securities. 2. The Subsidiary has been duly formed and is validly existing as a limited liability company in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, with full limited liability power and authority to own or lease, as the case may be, and to operate its properties and conduct its business as it is currently being conducted. 3. The Company is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation and is in good standing under the laws of each state of the United States in which the Company maintains an office, has employees or owns or leases property, except where the failure to be so qualified would not have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, earnings, business or properties of the Company and the Subsidiary, taken as a whole. 4. The Subsidiary is duly qualified to do business as a foreign limited liability company and is in good standing under the laws of each state of the United States in which the Subsidiary maintains an office, has employees or owns or leases property, except where the failure to be so qualified would not have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, earnings, business or properties of the Company and the Subsidiary, taken as a whole. 5. The authorized, issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company was as set forth in the Prospectus under the caption "Capitalization" as of the date stated therein; the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock set forth in the Prospectus under the caption "Capitalization" as of the date stated therein have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and nonassessable, and were not issued in violation of any preemptive or similar rights provided for in the Company's certificate of incorporation or bylaws or in the Material Contracts. To our knowledge, all outstanding membership units of the Subsidiary are owned of record by the Company and are free of any liens or encumbrances. The rights associated with the outstanding membership units are as stated in the Operating Agreement by and between the Company and the Subsidiary dated as of May 1, 2003. 6. The Securities have been duly authorized and, when issued and paid for by the Underwriters pursuant to the Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. 7. The Securities are duly listed, and admitted and authorized for quotation on the Nasdaq National Market. 8. The holders of outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company are not entitled to preemptive or, to our knowledge, rights of first refusal or other similar rights to subscribe for A-1 the Securities. Except as set forth in the section captioned "Capitalization" in the Prospectus as of the date stated therein, to our knowledge there were no options, warrants or other rights to purchase or acquire any shares of capital stock of the Company. 9. To our knowledge, there is (i) no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or other governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator pending or overtly threatened against the Company or the Subsidiary, or its properties (A) of a character required to be disclosed in the Prospectus that is not disclosed in the Prospectus as required by the Act and the rules and regulations thereunder or (B) which would reasonably be expected to materially and adversely affect the consummation of the transactions contemplated in the Purchase Agreement or the performance of the Company's obligations thereunder, and (ii) no indenture, contract, lease, mortgage, deed of trust, note agreement, loan or other agreement or instrument of a character required to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, which is not filed as required by the Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. 10. The statements in the Prospectus under the headings "Description of Capital Stock," and "Shares Eligible for Future Sale," and in the Registration Statement in Item 14, insofar as such statements purport to summarize legal matters, proceedings, agreements or documents discussed therein, fairly present, to the extent required by the Act and the rules thereunder, in all material respects, such legal matters, proceedings, agreements or documents. 11. The Registration Statement has become effective under the Act, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or overtly threatened. Any required filing of the Prospectus, and any supplement thereto, pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act, has been made in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b). 12. The Registration Statement and the Prospectus (other than the financial statements and notes thereto or other financial or statistical data derived therefrom, as to which we express no opinion) comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Act and the rules thereunder. 13. The Agreement has been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company and has been duly executed and delivered by the Company. 14. The Company is not, and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectus, will not be, an "investment company" as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. 15. No consent, approval, authorization or filing with or order of any court or governmental agency or body in the United States having jurisdiction over the Company is required for the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by the Agreement, except such as have been made or obtained under the Act and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and except such as may be required under the blue sky laws of any jurisdiction in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Securities by the Underwriters in the manner contemplated in the Agreement and in the Prospectus, or under the bylaws, rules and regulations of the NASD. A-2 16. The execution and delivery of the Agreement by the Company, the performance by the Company of its obligations under the Agreement (if performed in full as of the date hereof and other than with respect to the obligations set forth in Sections 6 and 7 of the Agreement) and the issue and sale of the Securities pursuant to the Agreement will not result in a breach or violation of, or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or the Subsidiary, pursuant to (i) the charter or bylaws of the Company or the Subsidiary, (ii) the terms of any Material Contract (with or without the passage of time and/or notice); or (iii) to our knowledge, any statute, law, rule, or regulation applicable to the Company or the Subsidiary or any judgment, order or decree applicable to the Company or the Subsidiary of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Company or the Subsidiary, except for the bylaws, rules and regulations of the NASD and state securities or blue sky laws. 17. To our knowledge, except as set forth in the Prospectus, no holders of securities of the Company have rights to require the registration under the Act of resales of such securities. A-3 Exhibit B FORM OF OPINION OF COUNSEL FOR THE SELLING SHAREHOLDERS TO BE DELIVERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 5(c) 1. The execution and delivery of the Purchase Agreement and the Power of Attorney and Custody Agreement and the sale and delivery of the Securities and the consummation of the transactions contemplated in the Purchase Agreement and in the Registration Statement and compliance by the Selling Stockholder with its obligations under the Purchase Agreement have been duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of the Selling Stockholder. The Purchase Agreement and the Custody Agreement and Power of Attorney have been duly executed and delivered by the Selling Stockholder and the Custody Agreement and Power of Attorney are valid and binding on the Selling Stockholder, except as enforcement may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, arrangement, moratorium or other similar laws affecting creditors' rights, and subject to general equity principles and to limitations on availability of equitable relief, including specific performance. 2. Upon the Underwriters' acquiring possession of stock certificates representing the Securities to be sold by the Selling Stockholder, endorsed to the Underwriters and paying the purchase price therefor pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, the Underwriters (assuming that no such Underwriter has notice of any "adverse claim," within the meaning of Section 8-105 of the New York Uniform Commercial Code, to such Securities) will acquire their respective interests in such Securities (including, without limitation, all rights that such Selling Stockholder had or has the power to transfer in such Securities) free and clear of any adverse claim within the meaning of Section 8-102 of the New York Uniform Commercial Code. 3. No consent, approval, authorization or order of, nor any filing with, any court or governmental agency or body is required for the consummation by the Selling Stockholder of the transactions contemplated in the Purchase Agreement and the Custody Agreement and Power of Attorney, except such as may have been obtained under the Act and such as may be required under the blue sky laws of any jurisdiction in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Selling Stockholder Securities by the Underwriters (as to which we express no opinion). 4. Neither the sale of the Selling Stockholder Securities pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, nor the performance by the Selling Stockholder of the obligations set forth in the Purchase Agreement will conflict with, result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under (a) any law, statute or regulation or the terms of any indenture or other agreement or instrument known to such counsel and to which the Selling Stockholder is a party or bound, any judgment, order or decree known to such counsel to be applicable to the Selling Stockholder of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body or arbitrator having jurisdiction over any Selling Stockholder, or (c) the provisions of the charter or bylaws or any entity Selling Stockholder. B-1