priceline.comIncorporated

EX-10.1 2 a06-25185_1ex10d1.htm EX-10

Exhibit 10.1

EXECUTION COPY

priceline.com Incorporated

Common Stock, Par Value $0.008 Per Share


Underwriting Agreement

December 4, 2006

Goldman, Sachs & Co.,

As representative of the several Underwriters

named in Schedule I hereto,
c/o Goldman, Sachs & Co.
85 Broad Street,
New York, New York 10004.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Certain stockholders named in Schedule II hereto (the “Selling Stockholders”) of priceline.com Incorporated, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), propose, subject to the terms and conditions stated herein, to sell to the Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the “Underwriters”) an aggregate of 3,824,812 shares (the “Shares”) of common stock, par value $0.008 per share (“Stock”), of the Company.

1.         The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each of the  Underwriters that:

(a)         An “automatic shelf registration statement” as defined under Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), on Form S-3 (File No. 333-139109) in respect of the Shares has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) not earlier than three years prior to the date hereof; such registration statement, and any post-effective amendment thereto, became effective on filing; and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of such registration statement or any part thereof has been issued and no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or threatened by the Commission, and no notice of objection of the Commission to the use of such registration statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Act has been received by the Company (the base prospectus filed as part of such registration statement, in the form in which it has most recently been filed with the Commission on or prior to the date of this Agreement, is hereinafter called the “Basic Prospectus”; any preliminary prospectus (including any preliminary prospectus supplement) relating to the Shares filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act is hereinafter called a




“Preliminary Prospectus”; the various parts of such registration statement, including all exhibits thereto but excluding Form T-1 and including any prospectus supplement relating to the Shares that is filed with the Commission and deemed by virtue of Rule 430B under the Act to be part of such registration statement, each as amended at the time such part of the registration statement became effective, are hereinafter collectively called the “Registration Statement”; the Basic Prospectus, as amended and supplemented immediately prior to the Applicable Time (as defined in Section 1(c) hereof), is hereinafter called the “Pricing Prospectus”; the form of the final prospectus relating to the Shares filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof is hereinafter called the “Prospectus”; any reference herein to the Basic Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3, as of the date of such prospectus; any reference to any amendment or supplement to the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, any prospectus supplement relating to the Shares filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act and any documents filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and incorporated therein, in each case after the date of the Basic Prospectus, such Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be; any reference to any amendment to the Registration Statement shall be deemed to refer to and include any annual report of the Company filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the effective date of the Registration Statement that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement; and any “issuer free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 433 under the Act relating to the Shares is hereinafter called an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”;

(b)         No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and each Preliminary Prospectus, at the time of filing thereof, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and did 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, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through Goldman, Sachs & Co. expressly for use therein;

(c)         For the purposes of this Agreement, the “Applicable Time” is 5:00 p.m. (Eastern time) on the date of this Agreement.  The Pricing Prospectus, as of the Applicable Time, did not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus listed on Schedule III(a) hereto does not conflict with the

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information contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus and each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as supplemented by and taken together with the Pricing Prospectus as of the Applicable Time, did not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to statements or omissions made in an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through Goldman, Sachs & Co. expressly for use therein;

(d)         The documents incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, when they became effective or were filed with the Commission, as the case may be, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and none of such documents contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; and any further documents so filed and incorporated by reference in the Prospectus or any further amendment or supplement thereto, when such documents become effective or are filed with the Commission, as the case may be, will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder 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; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through Goldman, Sachs & Co. expressly for use therein; and no such documents were filed with the Commission since the Commission’s close of business on the business day immediately prior to the date of this Agreement and prior to the execution of this Agreement, except as set forth on Schedule III(b) hereto;

(e)         The Registration Statement conforms, and the Prospectus and any further amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus will conform, in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and do not and will not, as of the applicable effective date as to each part of the Registration Statement and as of the applicable filing date as to the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, 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; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through Goldman, Sachs & Co. expressly for use therein;

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(f)          Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus any material loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus; and, since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus, there has not been any change in the capital stock except for changes or adjustments made in the ordinary course of business pursuant to employee equity plans in existence on the date of this Agreement, or long term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries other than the exercise of options outstanding on the date of this Agreement or any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the general affairs, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus;

(g)         The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property and good and marketable title to all personal property owned by them, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects except such as are described in the Pricing Prospectus or such as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries; and any real property and buildings held under lease by the Company and its subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company and its subsidiaries;

(h)         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 power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Pricing Prospectus, and has been duly qualified as a foreign corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification, or is subject to no material liability or disability by reason of the failure to be so qualified in any such jurisdiction; and each subsidiary of the Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation;

(i)          The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and all of the issued shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable and conform to the description of the Stock contained in the Pricing Prospectus and Prospectus; and all of the issued shares of capital stock of each subsidiary of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-

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assessable and (except for directors’ qualifying shares and as otherwise set forth in the Pricing Prospectus) are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims;

(j)          The issue and sale of the Shares and the compliance by the Company with this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated will not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject, nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws of the Company or any statute or any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties; and no consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any such court or governmental agency or body is required for the issue and sale of the Shares or the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement except such as have been obtained under the Act and such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters;

(k)         Other than as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is the subject, which, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would individually or in the aggregate have a material adverse effect on the current or future financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole; and, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental authorities or threatened by others;

(l)          Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of its Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws or in default in the performance or observance of any material obligation, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, lease or other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties may be bound;

(m)        The statements set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and Prospectus under the caption “Description of Capital Stock”, insofar as they purport to constitute a summary of the terms of the Stock, and under the caption “Underwriting”, insofar as they purport to describe the provisions of the documents referred to therein, are accurate, complete and fair;

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(n)         The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares, will not be an “investment company”, as such term is defined in the United States Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”);

(o)         (i) At the time of filing the Registration Statement, (ii) at the time of the most recent amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Act (whether such amendment was by post-effective amendment, incorporated report filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or form of prospectus), and (iii) at the time the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause only, of Rule 163(c) under the Act) made any offer relating to the Shares in reliance on the exemption of Rule 163 under the Act, the Company was a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act; and (B) at the earliest time after the filing of the Initial Registration Statement that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) under the Act) of the Shares, the Company was not an “ineligible issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act;

(p)         Deloitte & Touche LLP, who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, and have audited the Company’s internal control over financial reporting and management’s assessment thereof are an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder;

(q)         The Company maintains a system of internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that complies with the requirements of the Exchange Act and has been designed by the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer, or under their supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The Company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective as of a December 31, 2005 evaluation thereof.  The Company is not aware of any material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting;

(r)    Other than as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus, since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Prospectus, there has been no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting;

(s)       The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act; such disclosure controls and procedures have been designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company and its subsidiaries is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and principal

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financial officer by others within those entities; and such disclosure controls and procedures are effective;

(t)        The Company has been subject to the requirements of Section 12 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and has filed all the material required to be filed pursuant to Section 13, 14 or 15(d) for a period of at least 36 months immediately preceding the filing of the Registration Statement and has filed in a timely manner all reports required to be filed during the 12 calendar months and any portion of a month immediately preceding the filing of the Registration Statement); and

(u)  Neither the Company nor any of its consolidated or unconsolidated subsidiaries have, since December 31, 2005: (i) failed  to pay any dividend or sinking fund installment on preferred stock; or (ii) defaulted on either any installment or installments on indebtedness for borrowed money or on any rental on one or more long term leases, which defaults in the aggregate are material to the financial position of the Company and its consolidated and unconsolidated subsidiaries, taken as a whole.

2.       Each of the Selling Stockholders severally represents and warrants to, and agrees with each of the Underwriters and the Company that:

(i)          All consents, approvals, authorizations and orders necessary for the execution and delivery by such Selling Stockholder of this Agreement, and for the sale and delivery of the Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder, have been obtained; and such Selling Stockholder has full right, power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to sell, assign, transfer and deliver the Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder;

(ii)         The sale of the Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder and the compliance by such Selling Stockholder with all of the provisions of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein and therein contemplated will not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any statute, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which such Selling Stockholder is a party or by which such Selling Stockholder is 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 Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws of such Selling Stockholder if such Selling Stockholder is a corporation or any statute or any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over such Selling Stockholder or the property of such Selling Stockholder;

(iii)        Such Selling Stockholder has, and immediately prior to the Time of Delivery (as defined in Section 5 hereof) such Selling Stockholder will have, good and marketable title to the Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder, free of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims; and, upon delivery of such Shares and payment therefor pursuant hereto, good and marketable title to such Shares, free of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims, will pass to the several Underwriters;

 

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(iv)        [Reserved.]

(v)         Such Selling Stockholder has not taken and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action which is designed to or which has constituted or which might reasonably 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 Shares;

(vi)        All information in respect of such Selling Stockholder or provided in writing by such Selling Stockholder for inclusion in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; and

(vii)       In order to document the Underwriters’ compliance with the reporting and withholding provisions of the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 with respect to the transactions herein contemplated, such Selling Stockholder had previously delivered to you on September 5, 2006 a properly completed and executed United States Treasury Department Form W-8BEN, and, as of the Time of Delivery (as hereinafter defined), such form will be accurate and complete in all material respects.

3.         Subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, each of the Selling Stockholders agrees, severally and not jointly, to sell to each of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from each of the Selling Stockholders, at a purchase price per share of $39.00, the number of Shares (to be adjusted by you so as to eliminate fractional shares) determined by multiplying the aggregate number of Shares to be sold by each of the Selling Stockholders as set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule II hereto by a fraction, the numerator of which is the aggregate number of Shares to be purchased by such Underwriter as set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto and the denominator of which is the aggregate number of Shares to be purchased by all of the Underwriters from all of the Selling Stockholders hereunder.

4.         Upon release of the Shares, the Underwriters propose to offer the Shares for sale upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Prospectus.

5.         (a)               The Shares to be purchased by each Underwriter hereunder, in definitive form, and in such authorized denominations and registered in such names as Goldman, Sachs & Co. may request upon at least forty-eight hours’ prior notice to the Selling Stockholders shall be delivered by or on behalf of the Selling Stockholders to Goldman, Sachs & Co., through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), for the account of such Underwriter, against payment by or on behalf of such Underwriter of the purchase price therefor by wire transfer of Federal (same-day) funds to the account specified by each of the Selling Stockholders to Goldman, Sachs & Co. at least forty-eight hours in advance.  The Company will cause the certificates representing the Shares to be made available for checking and packaging at least twenty-four hours prior to the Time of Delivery (as defined

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below) at the office of Goldman, Sachs & Co., 85 Broad Street, New York, New York 10004 (the “Designated Office”).  The time and date of such delivery and payment shall be 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on December 7, 2006 or such other time and date as Goldman, Sachs & Co. and the Selling Stockholders may agree upon in writing.  Such time and date are herein called the “Time of Delivery”.

 (b)      The documents to be delivered at the Time of Delivery by or on behalf of the parties hereto pursuant to Section 9 hereof, including the cross receipt for the Shares and any additional documents requested by the Underwriters pursuant to Section 9 (j) hereof, will be delivered at the offices of Latham & Watkins LLP, 885 Third Avenue, New York, New York 10022 (the “Closing Location”), and the Shares will be delivered at the Designated Office, all at the Time of Delivery.  A meeting will be held at the Closing Location at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the New York Business Day next preceding the Time of Delivery, at which meeting the final drafts of the documents to be delivered pursuant to the preceding sentence will be available for review by the parties hereto.  For the purposes of this Section 5, “New York Business Day” shall mean each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday which is not a day on which banking institutions in New York are generally authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close.

6.         The Company agrees with each of the Underwriters:

(a)         To prepare the Prospectus in a form approved by you and to file such Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act not later than the Commission’s close of business on the second business day following the date of this Agreement or such earlier time as may be required under the Act; to make no further amendment or any supplement to the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus or the Prospectus prior to the Time of Delivery which shall be disapproved by you promptly after reasonable notice thereof; to advise you, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus has been filed and to furnish you with copies thereof; to file promptly all material required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act; within the time required by such Rule; to file promptly all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of the Prospectus and for so long as the delivery of a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is required in connection with the offering or sale of the Shares; to advise you, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or other prospectus in respect of the Shares, of any notice of objection of the Commission to the use of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Act of the suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose, or of any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of

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the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or for additional information; and, in the event of the issuance of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or other prospectus or suspending any such qualification, to promptly use its best efforts to obtain the withdrawal of such order; and in the event of any such issuance of a notice of objection, promptly to take such steps, including, without limitation, amending the Registration Statement or filing a new registration statement, at its own expense, as may be necessary to permit offers and sales of the Shares by the Underwriters (references herein to the Registration Statement shall include any such amendment or new registration statement);

(b)         If required by Rule 430B(h) under the Act, to prepare a form of prospectus in a form approved by you and to file such form of prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act not later than may be required by Rule 424(b) under the Act; and to make no further amendment or supplement to such form of prospectus which shall be disapproved by you promptly after reasonable notice therereof;

(c)         If by the third anniversary (the “Renewal Deadline”) of the initial effective date of the Registration Statement, any of the Shares remain unsold by the Underwriters, the Company will file, if it has not already done so and is eligible to do so, a new automatic shelf registration statement relating to the Shares, in a form satisfactory to you.  If at the Renewal Deadline the Company is no longer eligible to file an automatic shelf registration statement, the Company will, if it has not already done so, file a new shelf registration statement relating to the Shares, in a form satisfactory to you and will use its best efforts to cause such registration statement to be declared effective within 180 days after the Renewal Deadline.  The Company will take all other action necessary or appropriate to permit the public offering and sale of the Shares to continue as contemplated in the expired registration statement relating to the Shares.  References herein to the Registration Statement shall include such new automatic shelf registration statement or such new shelf registration statement, as the case may be;

(d)         Promptly from time to time to take such action as you may reasonably request to qualify the Shares for offering and sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as you may request and to comply with such laws so as to permit the continuance of sales and dealings therein in such jurisdictions for as long as may be necessary to complete the distribution of the Shares, provided that in connection therewith the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction;

(e)         Prior to 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the New York Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and from time to time, to furnish the Underwriters with written and electronic copies of the Prospectus in New York City in such quantities as you may reasonably request, and, if the delivery of a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is required at any time prior to the expiration of nine months after the time of issue of the Prospectus in connection with the offering or sale of the Shares and if at such time any event shall

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have occurred as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made when such Prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is delivered, not misleading, or, if for any other reason it shall be necessary or desirable during such same period to amend or supplement the Prospectus or to file under the Exchange Act any document incorporated by reference in the Prospectus in order to comply with the Act or the Exchange Act, to notify you and upon your request to file such document and to prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter and to any dealer in securities as many written and electronic copies as you may from time to time reasonably request of an amended Prospectus or a supplement to the Prospectus which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance; and in case any Underwriter is required to deliver a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) in connection with sales of any of the Shares at any time nine months or more after the time of issue of the Prospectus, upon your request but at the expense of such Underwriter, to prepare and deliver to such Underwriter as many written and electronic copies as you may request of an amended or supplemented Prospectus complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Act;

(f)          To make generally available to its security holders as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than sixteen months after the effective date of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c) under the Act), an earnings statement of the Company and its subsidiaries (which need not be audited) complying with Section 11(a) of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (including, at the option of the Company, Rule 158);

(g)         [Reserved.]

(h)         To pay the required Commission filing fees relating to the Shares within the time required by Rule 456(b)(1) under the Act without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) under the Act;

(i)          Upon request of any Underwriter, to furnish, or cause to be furnished, to such Underwriter an electronic version of the Company’s trademarks, servicemarks and corporate logo for use on the website, if any, operated by such Underwriter for the purpose of facilitating the on-line offering of the Shares (the “License”); provided, however, that the License shall be used solely for the purpose described above, is granted without any fee and may not be assigned or transferred; and

(j)          The Shares at the Time of Delivery shall have been duly listed, subject to notice of issuance on the Nasdaq National Market.

7.             (a)           The Company and each Selling Stockholder represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of Goldman, Sachs & Co., it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Shares that would constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act; each Underwriter represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of

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the Company and Goldman, Sachs & Co., it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Shares that would constitute a free writing prospectus; any such free writing prospectus the use of which has been consented to by the Company and Goldman, Sachs & Co. is listed on Schedule III(a) hereto;

(b)           The Company has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 under the Act applicable to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission or retention where required and legending; and

(c)           The Company agrees that if at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus any event occurred or occurs as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus would conflict with the information in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances then prevailing, not misleading, the Company will give prompt notice thereof to Goldman, Sachs & Co. and, if requested by Goldman, Sachs & Co., will prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or other document which will correct such conflict, statement or omission; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions in an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through Goldman, Sachs & Co. expressly for use therein.

8.         The Company and each of the Selling Stockholders covenant and agree with one another and with the several Underwriters that the Company will pay or cause to be paid the following: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel and accountants in connection with the registration of the Shares under the Act and all other expenses in connection with the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus and amendments and supplements thereto and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers; (ii) the cost of printing or producing any Agreement among Underwriters, this Agreement, the Blue Sky Memorandum, closing documents (including any compilations thereof) and any other documents in connection with the offering, purchase, sale and delivery of the Shares; (iii) all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Shares for offering and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 6(b) hereof, including the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky survey; (iv) the filing fees incident to, and the reasonable fees and disbursement of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with, securing any required review by the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. of the terms of the sale of the Shares; (v) the cost of preparing stock certificates; (vi) the cost and charges of any transfer agent or registrar and (vii) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Section.  It is understood, however, that, except as provided in this Section, and Sections 10 and 13 hereof, the Underwriters will

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pay all of their own costs and expenses, including the fees of their counsel, stock transfer taxes on resale of any of the Shares by them, and any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make.

9.         The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder shall be subject, in their discretion, to the condition that all representations and warranties and other statements of the Company and of the Selling Stockholders herein are, at and as of the Time of Delivery, true and correct, the condition that the Company and the Selling Stockholders shall have performed all of its and their obligations hereunder theretofore to be performed, and the following additional conditions:

(a)         The Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by the rules and regulations under the Act and in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof; all material required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act shall have been filed with the Commission within the applicable time period prescribed for such filings by Rule 433; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof shall have been issued and no proceeding for that purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission and no notice of objection of the Commission to the use of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Act shall have been received; no stop order suspending or preventing the use of the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; and all requests for additional information on the part of the Commission shall have been complied with to your reasonable satisfaction;

(b)         Latham & Watkins LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, shall have furnished to you such written opinion or opinions and letter, dated the Time of Delivery, with respect to matters as you may reasonably request, and such counsel shall have received such papers and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters;

(c)         Peter J. Millones, Executive Vice President and General Counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to you his written opinion on behalf of the Company, dated the Time of Delivery, in form and substance satisfactory to you, to the effect that:

(i)          The Company has power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus;

(ii)         The Company, as of the closing date, has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Prospectus, and all of the issued shares of capital stock of the Company (including the Shares) have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable and the Shares conform to the description of the Shares in the Prospectus;

(iii)        The Company has been duly qualified as a foreign corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other

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jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification, or is subject to no material liability or disability by reason of the failure to be so qualified in any such jurisdiction (such counsel being entitled to rely in respect of the opinion in this clause upon opinions of local counsel and in respect of matters of fact upon certificates of officers of the Company, provided that such counsel shall state that they believe that both you and they are justified in relying upon such opinions and certificates);

(iv)        Each subsidiary of the Company listed on Schedule IV hereto (each “subsidiary”) has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation; and all of the issued shares of capital stock of each such subsidiary have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable, and (except for directors’ qualifying shares and as otherwise set forth in the Pricing Prospectus) are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims (such counsel being entitled to rely in respect of the opinion in this clause upon opinions of local counsel and in respect of matters of fact upon certificates of officers of the Company or its subsidiaries, provided that such counsel shall state that they believe that both you and they are justified in relying upon such opinions and certificates);

(v)         To the best of such counsel’s knowledge and other than as set forth in the Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is the subject which, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would individually or in the aggregate have a material adverse effect on the current or future consolidated financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries; and to the best of such counsel’s knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental authorities or threatened by others;

(vi)        The issue and sale of the Shares and the compliance by the Company with this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated will not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument known to such counsel to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject, nor will such actions result in any violation of the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws of the Company or any statute or any order, rule or regulation known to such counsel of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties;

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(vii)       No consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any such court or governmental agency or body is required for the issue and sale of the Shares or the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except such as have been obtained under the Act and such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriter;

(viii)      Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of its Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws or in default in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, lease or other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties may be bound, except for such defaults which would not individually or in the aggregate have a material adverse affect on the current or future consolidated financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole;

(ix)        The documents incorporated by reference in the Prospectus or any further amendment or supplement thereto, made by the Company prior to such Time of Delivery (other than the financial statements and related schedules therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion), when they became effective or were filed with the Commission, as the case may be, complied as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder; and they have no reason to believe that any of such documents, when they became effective or were so filed, as the case may be, contained, in the case of a registration statement which became effective under the Act, an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; and

(x)         The Company does not know of any amendment to the Registration Statement required to be filed or of any contracts or other documents of a character required to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement or required to be incorporated by reference into the Prospectus or required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus or the Prospectus which are not filed or incorporated by reference or described as required.

(d)         Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to you their written opinion (a draft of such opinion is attached as Annex II(a) hereto), dated the Time of Delivery, in form and substance satisfactory to you, to the effect that:

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(i)          The Company has been duly incorporated and is an existing corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation;

(ii)         This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company;

(iii)        The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares, will not be an “investment company”, as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act; and

(iv)        The Registration Statement, the Prospectus and any further amendments and supplements thereto, as applicable, made by the Company prior to the Time of Delivery (other than the financial statements and related schedules therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion) appeared on their face to be responsive in all material respects, with the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations thereunder; although they do not assume any responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, except for those made under the caption “Description of Capital Stock” in the Prospectus insofar as they purport to constitute a summary of the terms of the Shares and under the caption “Underwriting” insofar as they purport to describe the provisions of the underwriting agreement referred to therein, nothing has come to their attention to cause them to believe (i) that any part of the Registration Statement, or any further amendment thereto made by the Company prior to the Time of Delivery (other than the financial statements and related schedules therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion), when such part or amendment became effective, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; (ii) that the Pricing Prospectus when considered together with the public offering price, as of the Applicable Time, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; or (iii) that, as of its date and as of the Time of Delivery, the Prospectus or any further amendment or supplement thereto made by the Company prior to the Time of Delivery (other than the financial statements and related schedules therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion) contained or contains any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

(e)         Shearman & Sterling LLP, counsel for the Selling Stockholders, as indicated in Schedule II hereto, shall have furnished to you their written opinion with respect to the Selling Stockholders for whom they are acting as counsel (a draft of

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each such opinion is attached as Annex II(b) hereto), dated the Time of Delivery, in form and substance satisfactory to you, to the effect that:

(i)          This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by or on behalf of such Selling Stockholder;

(ii)         No consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of any United States federal or New York state governmental authority or regulatory body is required for the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement in connection with the Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder, except for such consents, approvals, authorizations, orders, registrations or qualifications as have been obtained under the Act and such as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of such Shares by the Underwriters; and

(iii)        Upon (1) physical delivery of the certificates evidencing the Shares listed on Schedule II hereto to the transfer agent for the Company in exchange for uncertificated shares of stock, (2) registration by book entry in the stock records of the Company of the Shares in the name of CEDE & Co., for further credit to the Representative at its securities account maintained through DTC, (3) indication by book entry by DTC that the Shares have been credited to a securities account maintained by the Representative at DTC, and (4) payment for the Shares in accordance with the terms of the Underwriting Agreement, the Underwriters will acquire securities entitlements with respect to such Shares and, under the New York Uniform Commercial Code (“NY UCC”), an action based on an adverse claim to such securities entitlement, whether framed in conversion, replevin, constructive trust, equitable lien or other theory, may not be asserted against the Underwriters (assuming that the Underwriters are without notice of the adverse claim).

(f)          Maples and Calder, special British Virgin Islands counsel for the Selling Stockholders, as indicated in Schedule II hereto, shall have furnished to you their written opinions with respect to each of the Selling Stockholders for whom they are acting as special British Virgin Islands counsel (a draft of each such opinion is attached as Annex II(c) hereto), dated the Time of Delivery, in form and substance satisfactory to you, to the effect that:

(i)              Such Selling Stockholder is a limited liability company duly incorporated under the British Virgin Islands International Business Companies Act, 1984 (as amended), in good standing at the Registry of Corporate Affairs and validly existing under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, and possesses the capacity to sue and be sued in its own name;

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(ii)           Such Selling Stockholder has full power and authority under its Memorandum and Articles of Association and the laws of the British Virgin Islands to enter into, execute, deliver and perform its obligations under this Agreement and to sell, transfer and deliver the Shares to the Underwriters free and clear of all liens, restrictions on transfers, encumbrances, security interests and claims whatsoever as contemplated by this Agreement;

(iii)          The execution and delivery of this Agreement and the performance by such Selling Stockholder of its obligations hereunder does not conflict with or result in a breach of any of the terms or provisions of the memorandum and articles of association of such Selling Stockholder or any law, public rule or regulation applicable to such Selling Stockholder in the British Virgin Islands currently in force and does not conflict with or result in a breach or constitute a default under any existing rule, regulation, order or decree of any governmental authority or agency or official body of the British Virgin Islands;

(iv)          The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement has been authorised by and on behalf of such Selling Stockholder;

(v)           The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement has been authorised by and on behalf of such Selling Stockholder and, assuming this Agreement has been executed and delivered by an authorized person, this Agreement has been duly executed and delivered on behalf of such Selling Stockholder and constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of such Selling Stockholder enforceable in accordance with their terms;

(vi)          No authorisations, consents, approvals, licences, validations or exemptions are required by law from any governmental authorities or agencies or other official bodies in the British Virgin Islands in connection with: (1) the creation, execution or delivery of this Agreement by such Selling Stockholder; (2) subject to the payment of the appropriate nominal stamp duty, enforcement of this Agreement against such Selling Stockholder; or (3) the performance by such Selling Stockholder of its obligations under this Agreement;

(vii)         No taxes, fees or charges (other than nominal stamp duty) are payable (either by direct assessment or withholding) to the government or other taxing authority in the British Virgin Islands under the laws of the British Virgin Islands in respect of (1) the execution or delivery of this Agreement; (2) the enforcement of this Agreement; (3) the performance of this Agreement; and; (4) payments made under, or pursuant to, this Agreement;

(viii)        The British Virgin Islands currently have no form of income, corporate or capital gains tax and no estate duty, inheritance tax or gift tax;

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 (ix)          The courts of the British Virgin Islands will observe and give effect to the choice of New York law as the governing law of this Agreement;

(x)            Any final and conclusive monetary judgment obtained against such Selling Stockholder in the courts of New York in respect of this Agreement, for a definite sum, may be treated by the courts of the British Virgin Islands as a cause of action in itself so that no retrial of the issues would be necessary provided that in respect of the foreign judgment: (1) the foreign court issuing the judgment had jurisdiction in the matter and such Selling Stockholder either submitted to such jurisdiction or was resident or carrying on business within such jurisdiction and was duly served with process; (2) the judgment given by the foreign court was not in respect of penalties, taxes, fines or similar fiscal or revenue obligations of such Selling Stockholder; (3) in obtaining judgment there was no fraud on the part of the person in whose favour judgment was given or on the part of the court; (4) recognition or enforcement of the judgment in the British Virgin Islands would not be contrary to public policy; and (5) the proceedings pursuant to which judgment was obtained were not contrary to natural justice;

(xi)           It is not necessary to ensure the legality, validity, enforceability or admissibility in evidence of this Agreement that any document be filed, recorded or enrolled with any governmental authority or agency or any official body in the British Virgin Islands;

(xii)          Our search at the Registry of Corporate Affairs did not reveal the existence of a Register of Mortgages, Charges and Other Encumbrances.  A Register of Mortgages, Charges and Other Encumbrances may, however, be maintained at such Selling Stockholder’s registered office without a copy necessarily being filed at the Registry of Corporate Affairs.  However, we refer you to the registered agent’s certificate (a copy of which is attached as Annex A to the opinion) that states that such Selling Stockholder does not maintain a Register of Mortgages Charges and Other Encumbrances at such Selling Stockholder’s registered office; and

(xiii)         Neither such Selling Stockholder nor its assets is entitled to any immunity under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, whether characterised as sovereign immunity or otherwise, for any legal proceedings in the British Virgin Islands to enforce or collect upon this Agreement.

(g)           On the date of the Prospectus at a time prior to the execution of this Agreement, at 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on the effective date of any post effective amendment to the Registration Statement filed subsequent to the date of this Agreement and also at the Time of Delivery, Deloitte & Touche LLP shall have furnished to you a letter or letters, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof, in form and substance satisfactory to you, to the effect set forth in Annex I hereto (the

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executed copy of the letter delivered prior to the execution of this Agreement is attached as Annex I(a) hereto and a form of letter to be delivered on the effective date of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, and as of the Time of Delivery is attached as Annex I(b) hereto);

(h)           (i)  Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries shall have sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus any loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus, and (ii) since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Pricing Prospectus there shall not have been any change in the capital stock except for changes or adjustments made in the ordinary course of business pursuant to employee equity plans in existence on the date of this Agreement or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries other than the exercise of options outstanding on the date of this Agreement or any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the general affairs, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus, the effect of which, in any such case described in clause (i) or (ii), is in your judgment so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus;

(i)            On or after the Applicable Time (i) no downgrading shall have occurred in the rating accorded the Company’s debt securities or preferred stock by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization”, as that term is defined by the Commission for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) under the Act, and (ii) no such organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review, with possible negative implications, its rating of any of the Company’s debt securities or preferred stock;

(j)            On or after the Applicable Time there shall not have occurred any of the following: (i) a suspension or material limitation in trading in securities generally on the Nasdaq National Market; (ii) a suspension or material limitation in trading in the Company’s securities on the Nasdaq National Market; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities declared by either Federal or New York State authorities or a material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States; (iv) the outbreak or escalation of hostilities involving the United States or the declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war or (v) the occurrence of any other calamity or crisis or any change in financial, political or economic conditions in the United States or elsewhere; if the effect of any such event specified in clause (iv) or (v) in your judgment makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Shares being

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delivered at the Time of Delivery on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus;

(k)           The Company shall have complied with the provisions of Section 6(c) hereof with respect to the furnishing of prospectuses on the New York Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement;

(l)            [Reserved.]

(m)          Each of the Selling Stockholders shall have furnished to the Underwriter  wire instructions for the transfer of the net proceeds of the offering to their respective United States-based bank accounts;

(n)           [Reserved.]; and

(o)           The Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to you at the Time of Delivery certificates of officers of the Company satisfactory to you as to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company herein at and as of such Time of Delivery, as to the performance by the Company of all of its obligations hereunder to be performed at or prior to such Time of Delivery, as to the matters set forth in subsections (a) and (e) of this Section and as to such other matters as you may reasonably request.

10.           (a)  The Company will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which such Underwriter may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and will reimburse each Underwriter for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made

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in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through Goldman, Sachs & Co. expressly for use therein.

(b)           Each of the Selling Stockholders, jointly and severally will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which such Underwriter may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and will reimburse each Underwriter for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to any Underwriter by any Selling Stockholder expressly for use therein.

(c)           Each Underwriter will indemnify and hold harmless the Company and each Selling Stockholder against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which the Company or such Selling Stockholder may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through Goldman, Sachs & Co. expressly for use therein; and will reimburse the Company and each Selling Stockholder for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred.

(d)           Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection (a), (b) or (c) above of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under such subsection, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any indemnified party otherwise than under such subsection.  In case any such action shall be brought against any indemnified party and it shall notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it shall wish, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party (who shall not, except with the consent of the indemnified party, be counsel to the indemnifying party), and, after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to

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assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party shall not be liable to such indemnified party under such subsection for any legal expenses of other counsel or any other expenses, in each case subsequently incurred by such indemnified party, in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation.  No indemnifying party shall, without the written consent of the indemnified party, effect the settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any pending or threatened action or claim in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified party is an actual or potential party to such action or claim) unless such settlement, compromise or judgment (i) includes an unconditional release of the indemnified party from all liability arising out of such action or claim and (ii) does not include any statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf of any indemnified party.

(e)           If the indemnification provided for in this Section 10 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a), (b), (c) or (d) above in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Shares.  If, however, the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is not permitted by applicable law or if the indemnified party failed to give the notice required under subsection (d)  above, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to such amount paid or payable by such indemnified party in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant equitable considerations.  The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus.  The relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company on the one hand or the Underwriters on the other and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.  The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this subsection (e) 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 subsection (e).  The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to above in this subsection (e) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or

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defending any such action or claim.  Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (e), no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Shares 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 such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.  No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.  The Underwriters’ obligations in this subsection (e) to contribute are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint.

(f)            The obligations of the Company and the Selling Stockholders under this Section 10 shall be in addition to any liability which the Company and the respective Selling Stockholders may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Act; and the obligations of the Underwriters under this Section 10 shall be in addition to any liability which the respective Underwriters may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each officer and director of the Company and to each person, if any, who controls the Company or any Selling Stockholder within the meaning of the Act.

11.           If any Underwriter shall default in its obligation to purchase the Shares which it has agreed to purchase hereunder, you may in your discretion arrange for you or another party or other parties to purchase such Shares on the terms contained herein.  If within thirty-six hours after such default by any Underwriter you do not arrange for the purchase of such Shares, then the Selling Stockholders shall be entitled to a further period of thirty-six hours within which to procure another party or other parties satisfactory to you to purchase such Shares on such terms.  In the event that, within the respective prescribed periods, you notify the Selling Stockholders that you have so arranged for the purchase of such Shares, or the Selling Stockholders notify you that they have so arranged for the purchase of such Shares, you or the Selling Stockholders shall have the right to postpone the Time of Delivery for a period of not more than seven days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any other documents or arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any amendments to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus which in your opinion may thereby be made necessary.  The term “Underwriter” as used in this Agreement shall include any person substituted under this Section with like effect as if such person had originally been a party to this Agreement with respect to such Shares.

(b)           If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the Selling Stockholders as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate number of such Shares which remains unpurchased does not exceed one-eleventh of the aggregate number of all the Shares, then the Selling Stockholders shall have the right to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the number of Shares which such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder and, in addition, to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase its pro rata share (based on the number of Shares which such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder) of the Shares of such

24




defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters for which such arrangements have not been made; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.

(c)           If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the Selling Stockholders as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate number of such Shares which remains unpurchased exceeds one-eleventh of the aggregate number of all of the Shares, or if the Selling Stockholders shall not exercise the right described in subsection (b) above to require non-defaulting Underwriters to purchase Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters, then this Agreement shall thereupon terminate, without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company or the Selling Stockholders, except for the expenses to be borne by the Company and the Selling Stockholders and the Underwriters as provided in Section 8 hereof and the indemnity and contribution agreements in Section 10 hereof; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.

12.           The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company, the Selling Stockholders and the several Underwriters, as set forth in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of them, respectively, pursuant to this Agreement, shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation (or any statement as to the results thereof) made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or any controlling person of any Underwriter, or the Company, or any of the Selling Stockholders, or any officer or director or controlling person of the Company, or any controlling person of any Selling Stockholder, and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Shares.

13.           If this Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to Section 11 hereof, neither the Company nor the Selling Stockholders shall then be under any liability to any Underwriter except as provided in Sections 8 and 10 hereof; but, if for any other reason any Shares are not delivered by or on behalf of the Selling Stockholders as provided herein, each of the Selling Stockholders pro rata (based on the number of Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder) will reimburse the Underwriters through you for all out-of-pocket expenses approved in writing by you, including fees and disbursements of counsel, reasonably incurred by the Underwriters in making preparations for the purchase, sale and delivery of the Shares, but the Company and the Selling Stockholders shall then be under no further liability to any Underwriter  except as provided in Sections 8 and 10 hereof.

14.           In all dealings hereunder, you shall act on behalf of each of the Underwriters, and the parties hereto shall be entitled to act and rely upon any statement, request, notice or agreement on behalf of any Underwriter made or given by you.

All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in writing, and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to you as the Representative at One New York Plaza, 42nd Floor, New York, New York 10004, Attention: Registration Department; if to any Selling Stockholder shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to counsel for such Selling Stockholder at its address set forth in Schedule II hereto; and if to the Company shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to the address of the Company set forth in the Registration Statement,

25




Attention: Secretary; provided, however, that any notice to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 9(c) hereof shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to such Underwriter at its address set forth in its Underwriters’ Questionnaire, or telex constituting such Questionnaire, which address will be supplied to the Company by you upon request.  Any such statements, requests, notices or agreements shall take effect upon receipt thereof.

15.           This Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure solely to the benefit of, the Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Stockholders and, to the extent provided in Sections 10 and 12 hereof, the officers and directors of the Company and each person who controls the Company, any Selling Stockholder or any Underwriter, and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, and no other person shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this Agreement.  No purchaser of any of the Shares from any Underwriter shall be deemed a successor or assign by reason merely of such purchase.

16.           Each of the parties hereto irrevocably (i) agrees that any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby may be instituted in any state or federal court located in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, New York (a “New York Court”), (ii) waives, to the fullest extent it may effectively do so, any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such proceeding and (iii) submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding.  Each of the Selling Stockholders has appointed Hutchison Whampoa Agents (US) Inc., New York, New York, as its authorized agent, (the “Authorized Agent”) upon whom process may be served in any such action arising out of or based on this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby which may be instituted in any New York Court by any Underwriter or by any person who controls any Underwriter, expressly consents to the jurisdiction of any such court in respect of any such action, and waives any other requirements of or objections to personal jurisdiction with respect thereto.  The Company and each of the Selling Stockholders may replace the Authorized Agent subject to the prior written consent of the Representative, provided that there must at all times be an Authorized Agent appointed and such appointment must be effective.  Each of the Company and the Selling Stockholders represents and warrants that the Authorized Agent has agreed to act as such agent for service at process and agrees to take any and all action, including the filing of any and all documents and instruments that may be necessary to continue such appointment in full force and effect as aforesaid.  Service of process upon the Authorized Agent and written notice of such service to the Company or any of the Selling Stockholders, as the case may be, shall be deemed, in every respect, effective service of process upon the Company or any of the Selling Stockholders, as the case may be.

17.           In respect of any judgment or order given or made for any amount due hereunder that is expressed and paid in a currency (the “judgment currency”) other than United States dollars, the Company or the Selling Stockholders, as the case may be, will indemnify each Underwriter against any loss incurred by such Underwriter as a result of any variation as between (i) the rate of exchange at which the United States dollar amount is converted into the judgment currency for the purpose of such judgment or order and (ii) the rate of exchange at which an Underwriter is able to purchase United States dollars with the amount of the

26




judgment currency actually received by such Underwriter.  The foregoing indemnity shall constitute a separate and independent obligation of the Company and each of the Selling Stockholders and shall continue in full force and effect notwithstanding any such judgment or order as aforesaid.  The term “rate of exchange” shall include any premiums and costs of exchange payable in connection with the purchase of or conversion into United States dollars.

18.           Time shall be of the essence of this Agreement.  As used herein, the term “business day” shall mean any day when the Commission’s office in Washington, D.C. is open for business.

19.           The Company and the Selling Stockholders acknowledge and agree that (i) the purchase and sale of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company and the Selling Stockholders, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other, (ii) in connection therewith and with the process leading to such transaction each Underwriter is acting solely as a principal and not the agent or fiduciary of the Company or the Selling Stockholders, (iii) no Underwriter has assumed an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company or the Selling Stockholders with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company or Selling Stockholders on other matters) or any other obligation to the Company or Selling Stockholders except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement and (iv) the Company and the Selling Stockholders have consulted their own legal and financial advisors to the extent they deemed appropriate.  The Company and the Selling Stockholders agree that they will not claim that the Underwriters, or any of them, has rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owes a fiduciary or similar duty to the Company or Selling Stockholders, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto.

20.           This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings (whether written or oral) between the Company, the Selling Stockholders and the Underwriters, or any of them, with respect to the subject matter hereof.

21.          This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

22.           The Company, the Selling Stockholders and each of the Underwriters hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.

23.           Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Company and the Selling Stockholders are authorized to disclose to any persons U.S. federal and state tax treatment and tax structure of the potential transaction and all materials of any kind (including tax opinions and other tax analyses) provided to the Company or the Selling Stockholders relating to that treatment and structure, without the Underwriters imposing any limitation of any kind. However, any information relating to the tax treatment and tax structure shall remain confidential (and the foregoing sentence shall not apply) to the extent necessary to

27




enable any person to comply with securities laws. For this purpose, “tax structure” is limited to any facts that may be relevant to that treatment.”

28




 

If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please sign and return to us (one for the Company and the Representative plus one for each counsel) counterparts hereof, and upon the acceptance hereof by you, on behalf of each of the Underwriters, this letter and such acceptance hereof shall constitute a binding agreement among each of the Underwriters, the Company and each of the Selling Stockholders.  It is understood that your acceptance of this letter on behalf of each of the Underwriters is pursuant to the authority set forth in a form of Agreement among Underwriters, the form of which shall be submitted to the Company and the Selling Stockholders for examination, upon request, but without warranty on your part as to the authority of the signers thereof.

 

Very truly yours,

 

 

 

 

priceline.com Incorporated

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Jeffery H. Boyd

 

 

Name: Jeffery H. Boyd

 

 

Title: President, Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ultimate Pioneer Limited

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Frank J. Sixt

 

 

Name: Frank J. Sixt

 

 

Title: Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Potton Resources Limited

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Frank J. Sixt

 

 

Name: Frank J. Sixt

 

 

Title: Authorized Signatory

 

 

 

Accepted as of the date hereof:

 

 

 

 

 

Goldman, Sachs & Co.

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Goldman, Sachs & Co.

 

 

(Goldman, Sachs & Co.)

 

 

 

 

 

On behalf of each of the Underwriters

 

[Underwriting Agreement]




SCHEDULE I

Underwriter

 

Number of
Shares
to be Purchased

 

Goldman, Sachs & Co.

 

3,824,812

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

3,824,812

 

 

F-1




SCHEDULE II

Selling Stockholders

 

Total Number of
Shares
to be Sold

 

Address of the Selling
Stockholder

 

Ultimate Pioneer Limited

 

1,912,406

 

PO Box 957, Offshore
Incorporations Centre, Road Town,
Tortola, British Virgin Islands

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Potton Resources Limited

 

1,912,406

 

PO Box 957, Offshore
Incorporations Centre, Road Town,
Tortola, British Virgin Islands

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

3,824,812

 

 

 

 

F-2




SCHEDULE III

(a)           Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses:

None

(b)           Additional Documents Incorporated by Reference:

None

F-3




SCHEDULE IV

SUBSIDIARIES

1.               Lowestfare.com Incorporated

2.               Travelweb LLC

3.               priceline.com International Ltd.

4.               priceline.com Europe Holdings N.V.

5.               priceline.com Europe Ltd.

6.               Priceline.com Europe Holdco, Inc.

7.               Priceline.com Holdco U.K. Limited

8.               Active Hotels Ltd.

9.               Bookings B.V.

F-4