GCT Semiconductor, Inc. Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share Underwriting Agreement
Exhibit 1.1
GCT Semiconductor, Inc.
Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share
Underwriting Agreement
[ ], 2012
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
As representative of the several Underwriters
named in Schedule I hereto,
c/o Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
One Bryant Park
New York, NY 10036
Ladies and Gentlemen:
GCT Semiconductor, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Company), proposes, subject to the terms and conditions stated herein, to issue and sell to the Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the Underwriters) an aggregate of [ ] shares (the Firm Shares) and, at the election of the Underwriters, up to [ ] additional shares (the Optional Shares) of Common Stock (Stock) of the Company (the Firm Shares and the Optional Shares that the Underwriters elect to purchase pursuant to Section 2 hereof being collectively called the Shares).
1. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each of the Underwriters that:
(a) A registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-[]) (the Initial Registration Statement) in respect of the Shares has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission); the Initial Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, each in the form heretofore delivered to you, and, excluding exhibits thereto, to you for each of the other Underwriters, have been declared effective by the Commission in such form; other than a registration statement, if any, increasing the size of the offering (a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement), filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Act), which became effective upon filing, no other document with respect to the Initial Registration Statement has heretofore been filed with the Commission; and no stop order suspending the
effectiveness of the Initial Registration Statement, any post-effective amendment thereto or the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, has been issued and no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by the Commission (any preliminary prospectus included in the Initial Registration Statement or filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(a) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Act is hereinafter called a Preliminary Prospectus; the various parts of the Initial Registration Statement and the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, including all exhibits thereto and including the information contained in the form of final prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof and deemed by virtue of Rule 430A under the Act to be part of the Initial Registration Statement at the time it was declared effective, each as amended at the time such part of the Initial Registration Statement became effective or such part of the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, became or hereafter becomes effective, are hereinafter collectively called the Registration Statement; the Preliminary Prospectus relating to the Shares that was included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to the Applicable Time (as defined in Section 1(c) hereof) is hereinafter called the Pricing Prospectus; such final prospectus, in the form first filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act, is hereinafter called the Prospectus; 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 no proceeding for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Act has been instituted or, to the Companys knowledge, threatened 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 Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (the Representative) expressly for use therein, provided that for purposes of this Agreement, the only information so furnished shall be the information in the [], [],[] and [] paragraphs under the caption Underwriting in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus (collectively, the Underwriter Information);
(c) For the purposes of this Agreement, the Applicable Time is [ ] p.m. (Eastern time) on the date of this Agreement. The Pricing Prospectus
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when supplemented and considered together with all Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses issued at or prior to the Applicable Time, as well as the pricing information set forth in Schedule III(a) hereto (collectively, the General Disclosure Package) as of the Applicable Time did not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or 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(b) hereto does not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus and each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as supplemented by and taken together with the rest of the General Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time, did not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that the representations and warranties set forth in this Section 1(c) shall not apply to statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information;
(d) The Registration Statement conforms, and the Prospectus and any further amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or 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 the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto 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 the Underwriter Information;
(e) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, any material loss to, or material 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 Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; and, since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there has not been any (A) change in the capital stock (other than the issuance or grant of securities pursuant to employee benefit plans, stock option plans or other employee compensation plans or pursuant to outstanding options, rights or warrants, or the issuance of Stock upon conversion
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of preferred stock or other convertible securities in accordance with the Certificate of Incorporation of the Company, all as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus); (B) changes in the long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries; or (C) material adverse change in or affecting the general affairs, management, financial position, stockholders equity, results of operations, or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole (Material Adverse Effect), otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus;
(f) The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title 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 Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or such as do not materially affect the value of such property or 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;
(g) 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 Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the 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;
(h) Each of the subsidiaries of the Company (each of which are listed on Schedule IV to this Agreement) has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, with corporate power and authority to own or lease its properties and conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. Each of the Companys subsidiaries is duly qualified to transact business in all jurisdictions in which the conduct of their business requires such qualification. All of the issued shares of capital stock of each of the subsidiaries of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and are owned directly or indirectly by the Company free and clear of all material liens, encumbrances, equities or claims; and no options, warrants or other rights to purchase, agreements or other
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obligations to issue or other rights to convert any obligations into shares of capital stock or ownership interests in the subsidiaries of the Company are outstanding, except as otherwise described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus;
(i) The execution and delivery of, and the performance by the Company of its obligations under, this Agreement has been duly and validly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company, and this Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company;
(j) The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, and all of the issued shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and conform, in all material respects, to the description of the Stock contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus;
(k) The Shares to be issued and sold by the Company to the Underwriters hereunder have been duly and validly authorized and, when issued and delivered against payment therefor as provided herein, will be duly and validly issued and fully paid and non-assessable and will conform, in all material respects, to the description of the Stock contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and the issuance of such Shares will not be subject to any preemptive right or similar rights; the form of certificates for the Shares conforms to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware and to any requirements of the Companys Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws;
(l) The issue and sale of the Shares and the compliance by the Company with all of the provisions of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated will not (i) 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, (ii) violate the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws of the Company or (iii) violate 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; except with respect to clauses (i) and (iii) where such conflict, breach, default or violation would not have a Material Adverse Effect. 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
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contemplated by this Agreement, except the registration under the Act of the Shares 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;
(m) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (i) in violation of, nor have any of them received any notices of a suspected, potential or actual violation with respect to, any federal, state, local or foreign statute, law or regulation, (ii) in violation of its Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws, or (iii) 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 with respect to clauses (i) and (iii) where such conflict, breach, default or violation would not have a Material Adverse Effect.
(n) The statements set forth in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus under the caption Description of Capital Stock, insofar as they purport to constitute a summary of the terms of the Stock, under the captions Material U.S. Federal Tax Considerations for Non-U.S. Holders, Shares Eligible for Future Sale and Underwriting, insofar as they purport to describe the provisions of the laws and documents referred to therein, are, in all material respects, accurate, complete and fair;
(o) Other than as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and 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, individually or in the aggregate, would have a Material Adverse Effect; and, to the best of the Companys knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental authorities or threatened by others;
(p) The statistical, industry-related and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources which the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable, accurate, and agree with the sources from which they are derived;
(q) There are no relationships or related-party transactions involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any other person required to be described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus which have not been described as required under the Act;
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(r) The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, will not be an investment company, as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the Investment Company Act);
(s) At the time of filing the Initial Registration Statement, the Company was not, and is not as of the date hereof, an ineligible issuer, as defined under Rule 405 under the Act;
(t) PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, is an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder; and, except as pre-approved in accordance with the requirements set forth in Section 10A of the Exchange Act, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP has not been engaged by the Company to perform any prohibited activities, as defined in Section 10A of the Exchange Act;
(u) The consolidated financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, together with related notes and schedules as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position and the results of operations and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries, at the indicated dates and for the indicated periods. Such financial statements and related schedules have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted principles of accounting (GAAP), consistently applied throughout the periods involved, except as disclosed therein, and all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of results for such periods have been made. The summary and selected consolidated financial and statistical data included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus presents fairly, in all material respects, the information shown therein and such data has been compiled on a basis consistent with the financial statements presented therein and the books and records of the Company. All disclosures contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus regarding non-GAAP financial measures (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations under the Act) comply with Regulation G of the Exchange Act and Item 10 of Regulation S-K under the Act, to the extent applicable. The Company and its subsidiaries do not have any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent (including any off-balance sheet obligations or any variable interest entities within the meaning of Financial Accounting Standards Board Interpretation No. 46), not disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. There are no financial statements (historical or pro forma) that are required to be included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus that are not included as required;
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(v) Except as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such person the right to require the Company to file a registration statement under the Act with respect to any securities of the Company owned or to be owned by such person or to require the Company to include such securities in the securities registered pursuant to the Registration Statement or in any securities being registered pursuant to any other registration statement filed by the Company under the Act; and any such rights have been waived in writing or otherwise satisfied in connection with the transaction contemplated by this Agreement;
(w) Except as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company has not sold or issued any shares of Stock during the six-month period preceding the date of the Prospectus, including any sales pursuant to Rule 144A under, or Regulations D or S of, the Act, other than shares issued pursuant to employee benefit plans, stock option plans or other employee compensation plans or pursuant to outstanding options, rights or warrants;
(x) None of the information on (or hyperlinked from) the Companys website at www.gctsemi.com includes or constitutes a free writing prospectus as defined in Rule 405 under the Act and the Company does not maintain or support any external Internet website other than www.gctsemi.com ;
(y) There are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or any Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finders fee or other like payment in connection with this offering except for the agreement with Moelis & Company, the financial advisor of the Company in this offering;
(z) The Company 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;
(aa) No subsidiary of the Company is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such subsidiarys capital stock, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such subsidiarys property or assets to the Company or any other subsidiary of the Company;
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(bb) The Companys board of directors meets the independence requirements of, and has established an audit committee that meets the independence requirements of, the rules and regulations of the Commission and the NASDAQ Stock Market, LLC (the Exchange), including any transition or phase-in rules, exceptions or exemptions applicable to the Company;
(cc) As of the date of the initial filing of the Registration Statement, there were no outstanding personal loans made, directly or indirectly, by the Company to any director or executive officer of the Company;
(dd) The Company and its subsidiaries possess, and are in compliance in all material respects with the terms of, all certificates, authorizations, franchises, licenses and permits (Permits) necessary or material to the conduct of the business as is now conducted or proposed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, to be conducted by them, and have not received any written notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any Permits that, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;
(ee) Except as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company and its subsidiaries each own or possess the right to use all patents, patent rights, trademarks, trade names, service marks and service names (including all goodwill associated with use of the same), copyrights, license rights, inventions, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures) and other technology and intellectual property rights, including the right to sue for past, present and future infringement, misappropriation or dilution of any of the same (Intellectual Property) used by them or necessary to be used by them in the conduct of their business as conducted and as proposed to be conducted in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, except as such failure to own, possess, or acquire such rights would not have a Material Adverse Effect (Company Intellectual Property). Except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (i) there are no third parties who have or will be able to establish rights to any Company Intellectual Property, except for the retained rights of the owners of Company Intellectual Property which is licensed to the Company or its subsidiaries; (ii) there is no pending, or to the Companys knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the Companys rights or any of its subsidiaries rights in or to any Company Intellectual Property, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is aware of any facts which could form a reasonable basis for any such action, suit, proceeding or claim; (iii) there is no pending or, to the Companys knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or
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claim by others challenging the validity, enforceability or scope of any Company Intellectual Property, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is aware of any facts which could form a reasonable basis for any such action, suit, proceeding or claim; (iv) there is no pending or, to the Companys knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others that the Company or any of its subsidiaries infringes or misappropriates any Intellectual Property or other proprietary rights of others, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is aware of any facts which could form a reasonable basis for any such action, suit, proceeding or claim; (v) to the Companys knowledge, there is no patent or patent application that contains claims that interfere with the issued or pending claims of any Company Intellectual Property; and (vi) to the Companys knowledge, no Company Intellectual Property has been obtained or is being used by the Company or any of its subsidiaries in violation of any contractual obligation binding on the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or otherwise in violation of the rights of any persons. The Company and its subsidiaries have taken all reasonable steps necessary to secure interests in the Company Intellectual Property from their employees, consultants, agents and contractors. There are no outstanding options, licenses or agreements of any kind relating to the Company Intellectual Property owned by the Company or any of its subsidiaries that are required to be described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and are not described in all material respects. The Company and its subsidiaries are not a party to or bound by any options, licenses or agreements with respect to the Intellectual Property of any other person or entity that are required to be set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and are not described in all material respects. No government funding, facilities or resources of a university, college, other educational institution or research center or funding from third parties was used in the development of any Company Intellectual Property that is owned or purported to be owned by the Company or any of its subsidiaries and no governmental agency or body, university, college, other educational institution or research center has any claim or right in or to any Company Intellectual Property that is owned or purported to be owned by the Company or any of its subsidiaries. The Company and its subsidiaries have used all software and other materials distributed under a free, open source, or similar licensing model (including but not limited to the GNU General Public License, GNU Lesser General Public License and GNU Affero General Public License) (Open Source Materials) in compliance, in all material respects, with all license terms applicable to such Open Source Materials. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has used or distributed any Open Source Materials in a manner that requires or has required (i) the Company or any of its subsidiaries to permit reverse-engineering of any products or services of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or any software code or other technology owned by the Company or any of its subsidiaries; or (ii) any products or services of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or any software code or other technology owned by the Company or any of its subsidiaries, to be (A) disclosed or distributed in source code form, (B) licensed for the purpose of making derivative works, or (C) redistributable at no charge;
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(ff) No material labor dispute with the employees of the Company exists or is imminent;
(gg) The Company and each of its subsidiaries carry, or are covered by, insurance in such amounts and covering such risks as is adequate for the conduct of their respective businesses and the value of their respective properties and as is customary for companies engaged in similar businesses; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries have any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary for their business, except where such inability to renew that would not have a Material Adverse Effect;
(hh) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any statute, rule, regulation, decision or order of any governmental agency or body or any court, domestic or foreign, relating to the use, disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or relating to the protection or restoration of the environment or human exposure to hazardous or toxic substances (collectively, Environmental Laws), owns or operates any real property contaminated with any substance that is subject to Environmental Laws, is liable for any off-site disposal or contamination pursuant to any Environmental Laws, or is subject to any claim relating to any Environmental Laws, which violation, contamination, liability or claim would, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and the Company has not received written notice of any pending investigation which might lead to such a claim;
(ii) The Company and each of its subsidiaries have filed all Federal, state, local and foreign tax returns which have been required to be filed and have paid all taxes indicated by such returns and all assessments received by them or any of them to the extent that such taxes have become due and are not being contested in good faith and for which an adequate reserve for accrual has been established in accordance with GAAP. All tax liabilities have been adequately provided for in the financial statements of the Company, and the Company does not know of any actual or proposed additional material tax assessments;
(jj) The Company and each of its subsidiaries is in compliance in all material respects with all presently applicable provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (ERISA); no reportable event (as defined in ERISA) has occurred with respect to any pension plan (as defined in ERISA) for which the Company and each of its subsidiaries would have any liability; the Company and each of its subsidiaries has not incurred and does not
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expect to incur liability under (i) Title IV of ERISA with respect to termination of, or withdrawal from, any pension plan or (ii) Sections 412 or 4971 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (the Code); each pension plan for which the Company or any of its subsidiaries would have any liability that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified in all material respects and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which would cause the loss of such qualification; and, with respect to stock options granted pursuant to the Companys equity incentive plans disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (A) the per share exercise price of each stock option granted by the Company reflects the per share fair market value of the Stock on the date of grant, as determined by the board of directors of the Company (or a duly constituted and authorized committee thereof) and any required stockholder approval by the necessary number of votes or written consents, (B) each such grant was made in accordance with the terms of the relevant Company equity incentive plan, and (C) each such grant was properly accounted for in accordance with GAAP;
(kk) The Company maintains a system of internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act)) that complies with the requirements of the Exchange Act and has been designed by the Companys 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. Except for the material weaknesses specifically disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Companys internal control over financial reporting is effective and the Company is not aware of any material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting (it being understood that this subsection shall not require the Company to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, as of an earlier date than it would otherwise be required to so comply under applicable law);
(ll) Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there has been no change in the Companys internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Companys internal control over financial reporting;
(mm) Except for the material weaknesses specifically disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the
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Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act; such disclosure controls and procedures have been designed and are effective to ensure that material information relating to the Company and its subsidiaries is made known to the Companys principal executive officer and principal financial officer by others within those entities;
(nn) To the Companys knowledge, there are no affiliations or associations between any member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) and any of the Companys officers, directors, 5% or greater securityholders or any beneficial owner of the Companys unregistered equity securities that were acquired during the 180-day period immediately preceding the filing date of the Initial Registration Statement, except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus;
(oo) None of the Company, any of its subsidiaries, or, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is aware of or has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that would result in a violation by such persons of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (the FCPA) or any similar laws of any U.S. or non-U.S. jurisdiction, including, without limitation, making use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce corruptly in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay or authorization of the payment of any money, or other property, gift, promise to give, or authorization of the giving of anything of value to any foreign official (as such term is defined in the FCPA) or any foreign political party or official thereof or any candidate for foreign political office, in contravention of the FCPA or any similar laws of any U.S. or non-U.S. jurisdiction and the Company, its subsidiaries and its affiliates have conducted their businesses in compliance with the FCPA or any similar laws of any U.S. or non-U.S. jurisdiction and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith;
(pp) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has made any contribution or other payment to any official of, or candidate for, any federal, state or foreign office in violation of any law which violation is required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus;
(qq) The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial record-keeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, applicable money laundering statutes and applicable
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rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the Money Laundering Laws), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any or its subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the Companys knowledge, threatened; and
(rr) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries, nor to the Companys knowledge, any director, officer, agent, current employee or affiliate of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (OFAC); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC.
(ss) There are no contracts, agreements or other documents that are required to be described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement which have not been described or filed as required. Each description of a contract, agreement or other document in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus accurately reflects in all material respects the terms of such contract, agreement or other document;
2. Subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, (a) the Company agrees to issue and sell to each of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at a purchase price per share of $[ ], the number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto and (b) in the event and to the extent that the Underwriters shall exercise the election to purchase Optional Shares as provided below, the Company agrees to issue and sell to each of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at the purchase price per share set forth in clause (a) of this Section 2, that portion of the number of Optional Shares as to which such election shall have been exercised (to be adjusted by you so as to eliminate fractional shares) determined by multiplying such number of Optional Shares by a fraction, the numerator of which is the maximum number of Optional Shares which such Underwriter is entitled to purchase as set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto and the denominator of which is the maximum number of Optional Shares that all of the Underwriters are entitled to purchase hereunder.
The Company hereby grants to the Underwriters the right to purchase at their election up to [ ] Optional Shares, at the purchase price per share set forth in the paragraph above, for the sole purpose of covering sales of shares
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in excess of the number of Firm Shares, provided that the purchase price per Optional Share shall be reduced by an amount per share equal to any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the Firm Shares but not payable on the Optional Shares. Any such election to purchase Optional Shares may be exercised only by written notice from you to the Company, given within a period of 30 calendar days after the date of this Agreement, setting forth the aggregate number of Optional Shares to be purchased and the date on which such Optional Shares are to be delivered, as determined by you but in no event earlier than the First Time of Delivery (as defined in Section 4 hereof) or, unless you and the Company otherwise agree in writing, earlier than two or later than ten business days after the date of such notice; provided, however, that if the date of such notice of exercise is one or more business days before the First Time of Delivery, the notice of exercise shall set the First Time of Delivery as the date for the purchase of the Optional Shares by the Underwriters.
3. Upon the authorization by you of the release of the Firm Shares, the several Underwriters propose to offer the Firm Shares for sale upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Prospectus.
4. (a) The Shares to be purchased by each Underwriter hereunder, in definitive form, and in such authorized denominations and registered in such names as the Representative may request upon at least forty-eight hours prior notice to the Company shall be delivered by or on behalf of the Company to the Representative, 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 the Company to the Representative 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 below) with respect thereto at the office of DTC or its designated custodian (the Designated Office). The time and date of such delivery and payment shall be, with respect to the Firm Shares, 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on [ ], 2012 or such other time and date as the Representative and the Company may agree upon in writing, and, with respect to the Optional Shares, 9:30 a.m., New York time, on the date specified by the Representative in the written notice given by the Representative of the Underwriters election to purchase such Optional Shares, or such other time and date as the Representative and the Company may agree upon in writing. Such time and date for delivery of the Firm Shares is herein called the First Time of Delivery, such time and date for delivery of the Optional Shares, if not the First Time of Delivery, is herein called the Second Time of Delivery, and each such time and date for delivery is herein called a Time of Delivery.
(b) The documents to be delivered at each Time of Delivery by or on behalf of the parties hereto pursuant to Section 8 hereof, including the cross receipt for the Shares and any additional documents requested by the
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Underwriters pursuant to Section 8(j) hereof, will be delivered at the offices of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C., 650 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, California 94304 (the Closing Location), and the Shares will be delivered at the Designated Office, all at such Time of Delivery. A meeting will be held at the Closing Location at [ ].p.m., New York City time, on the New York Business Day next preceding such 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 4, 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 City are generally authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close.
5. 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 Commissions close of business on the second business day following the execution and delivery of this Agreement, or, if applicable, such earlier time as may be required by Rule 430A(a)(3) under the Act; to make no further amendment or any supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus prior to the last 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; 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, Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or other prospectus in respect of the Shares, 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 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, Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or other prospectus or suspending any such qualification, to promptly use its best efforts to obtain the withdrawal of such order;
(b) Promptly from time to time to take such action as you may reasonably request in writing 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;
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(c) 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 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 during such same period to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to comply with the Act, to notify you and upon your request 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;
(d) To make generally available to its security holders as soon as practicable (which may be satisfied by filing with the Commissions Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (EDGAR)), 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);
(e) During the period beginning from the date hereof and continuing to and including the date 180 days after the date of the Prospectus (the Lock-Up Period), not to (i) offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, grant any option to purchase, make any short sale or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, or file with the Commission a registration statement under the Act relating to, any securities of the Company that are substantially similar to the Shares, including but not limited to any options or warrants to purchase shares of Stock or any securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, Stock or any such substantially similar securities, or publicly disclose
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the intention to make any offer, sale, pledge, disposition or filing or (ii) enter into any swap or other agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Stock or any such other securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise, except for (A) the registration of the Shares and the sales to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, (B) issuances of shares of Stock upon the exercise of options or warrants or conversion of preferred shares disclosed as outstanding in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, and (C) the issuance of employee stock options under the equity incentive plans of the Company described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and (D) the issuance of shares of Stock or securities convertible into such shares of Stock in exchange for the assets or equity of another entity in connection with an acquisition by the Company; provided that the number of shares of Stock issued or underlying securities convertible, exchangeable or exercisable (including pursuant to warrants or other rights) for shares of Stock in any case pursuant to clause (D) shall not exceed 10% of outstanding shares following the offering and provided further that, prior to the issuance of any such securities pursuant to clause (D), the Company shall cause the recipients of such securities to execute and deliver to you Lock-Up Agreements, each substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto. For the avoidance of doubt, this Section 5(e) shall not apply to the filing by the Company of any registration statement under the Securities Act on Form S-8 in respect of any equity compensation plans or arrangements maintained by the Company, and nothing in this Section 5(e) shall otherwise be deemed to prohibit or limit the Companys ability to effect any such registration with respect to clause (B) and (C) hereof ; provided, however, that if (1) during the last 17 days of the initial Lock-Up Period, the Company releases earnings results or announces material news or a material event or (2) prior to the expiration of the initial Lock-Up Period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 15-day period following the last day of the initial Lock-Up Period, then in each case the Lock-Up Period will be automatically extended until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the date of release of the earnings results or the announcement of the material news or material event, as applicable, unless the Representative waives, in writing, such extension; the Company will provide the Representative and each stockholder subject to the Lock-Up Period pursuant to the lockup letters described in Section 8(k) with prior notice of any such announcement that gives rise to an extension of the Lock-up Period;
(f) If the Representative, in its sole discretion, agrees to release or waive the restrictions set forth in a lockup letter described in Section 8(k) hereof for an officer or director of the Company and provide the Company with notice of the impending release or waiver at least three business days before the effective date of the release or waiver, the Company agrees to announce the impending
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release or waiver by a press release substantially in the form of Annex I hereto through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver;
(g) During a period of two years from the effective date of the Registration Statement, to furnish to its stockholders as soon as practicable after the end of the fiscal year an annual report (including a balance sheet and statements of income, stockholders equity and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries certified by independent public accountants) and, as soon as practicable after the end of each fiscal quarter (beginning with the fiscal quarter ending after the effective date of the Registration Statement), to make available to its stockholders consolidated summary financial information of the Company and its subsidiaries for such quarter in reasonable detail; provided, however, that the Company may satisfy the requirements of this subsection by electronically filing such information through EDGAR as long as such filing complies with the Exchange Act;
(h) During a period of two years from the effective date of the Registration Statement, to furnish to you copies of all reports or other communications (financial or other) furnished to stockholders, and to deliver to you (A) as soon as they are available, copies of any reports and financial statements furnished to or filed with the Commission or any national securities exchange on which any class of securities of the Company is listed; and (B) such additional information concerning the business and financial condition of the Company as you may from time to time reasonably request (such financial statements to be on a consolidated basis to the extent the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries are consolidated in reports furnished to its stockholders generally or to the Commission); provided, however, that the Company may satisfy the requirements of this subsection by electronically filing such information with the Commission via EDGAR;
(i) To use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement in the manner specified in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus under the caption Use of Proceeds;
(j) To use its best efforts to list, subject to notice of issuance, the Shares on the Exchange;
(k) To file with the Commission such information on Form 10-Q or Form 10-K as may be required by Rule 463 under the Act;
(l) If the Company elects to rely upon Rule 462(b), the Company shall file a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement with the Commission in compliance with Rule 462(b) by 10:00 P.M., Washington, D.C. time, on the date of this Agreement, and the Company shall at the time of filing either pay to the Commission the filing fee for the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or give irrevocable instructions for the payment of such fee pursuant to Rule 111(b) under the Act;
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(m) Upon request of any Underwriter, to furnish, or cause to be furnished, to such Underwriter an electronic version of the Companys trademarks, service marks 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;
(n) If the General Disclosure Package is being used to solicit offers to buy the Shares at a time when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers and any event shall occur as a result of which, in the judgment of the Company or in the reasonable opinion of the Underwriters, it becomes necessary to amend or supplement the General Disclosure Package in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances, not misleading, or to make the statements therein not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement then on file, or if it is necessary at any time to amend or supplement the General Disclosure Package to comply with any law, to promptly prepare, file with the Commission (if required) and furnish to the Underwriters and any dealers an appropriate amendment or supplement to the General Disclosure Package;
(o) Prior to the First Time of Delivery, to furnish to the Underwriters, as soon as they are available to the Company, a copy of any unaudited interim financial statements of the Company for any period subsequent to the period covered by the most recent financial statements appearing in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus;
(p) Not to invest, or otherwise use the proceeds received by the Company from its sale of the Shares in such a manner as would require the Company or any of its subsidiaries to register as an investment company under the 1940 Act; and
(q) Not to take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or result in, or that has constituted or might reasonably be expected to constitute, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any securities of the Company.
6. (a) The Company represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of the Representative, 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 the Company and the Representative, 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 the Representative is listed on Appendix I hereto;
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(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 the Company represents that it has satisfied and agrees that it will satisfy the conditions under Rule 433 under the Act to avoid a requirement to file with the Commission any electronic road show;
(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 the Representative and, if requested by the Representative, 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 the Underwriter Information.
7. (a) The Company covenants and agrees with the several Underwriters that the Company will pay or cause to be paid the following: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Companys counsel and accountants in connection with the registration of the Shares under the Act and all other expenses in connection with the preparation, printing, reproduction and filing of the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and the Prospectus and amendments and supplements thereto 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 reasonable expenses in connection with the qualification of the Shares for offering and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 5(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 in any event not to exceed $15,000; (iv) all reasonable fees and expenses in connection with listing the Shares on the Exchange; (v) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any road show undertaken in connection with the marketing of the Shares, including without limitation, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations, travel and lodging expenses of the representatives and officers of the Company and any
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such consultants, and the cost of transportation chartered in connection with the road show (provided that the Company shall only be required to pay 50% of the cost of any aircraft chartered in connection with the road show); (vi) the filing fees incident to, and the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with, any required review by FINRA of the terms of the sale of the Shares not to exceed $45,000; (vii) the cost of preparing stock certificates; (viii) the cost and charges of any transfer agent or registrar; and (ix) all other reasonable 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 9 and 12 hereof, the Underwriters will pay all of their own costs and expenses, which are the fees of their counsel, stock transfer taxes on resale of any of the Shares by them, the costs and expenses for the travel and lodging of the Underwriters relating to investor presentations or any road show undertaken in connection with marketing of the Securities, the costs of any advertising expenses in connection with any offers they may make, and 50% of the cost of any aircraft chartered in connection with the road show).
(b) The several Underwriters hereby covenant and agree with the Company that the Underwriters will reimburse the Company for $[ ] of the Companys fees, disbursements and expenses incurred in connection with the offering of the Shares contemplated by this Agreement.
8. The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder, as to the Shares to be delivered at each Time of Delivery, shall be subject, in their discretion, to the condition that all representations and warranties and other statements of the Company herein are, at and as of such Time of Delivery, true and correct, the condition that the Company shall have performed all of its 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 filing by Rule 433 under the Act; if the Company has elected to rely upon Rule 462(b) under the Act, the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement shall have been filed with the time period required by, and otherwise in accordance with the provisions of, Rule 462(b) and the Act; 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; 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;
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(b) Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C., counsel for the Underwriters, shall have furnished to you such written opinion or opinions, dated such Time of Delivery, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representative, and such counsel shall have received such papers and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters;
(c) Morgan Lewis & Bockius 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 such Time of Delivery, substantially in the form set forth in Annex II(a);
(d) Muir Patent Consulting, PLLC, intellectual property counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to you their written opinion, dated such Time of Delivery, substantially in the form set forth as Annex II(b) hereto;
(e) Lee & Ko, special Republic of Korea counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to you their written opinion, dated such Time of Delivery, substantially in the form set forth in Annex II(c) hereto;
(f) On each of (i) the date hereof, (ii) the effective date of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement filed subsequent to the date of this Agreement, at 9:30 a.m., New York City time, and (iii) each Time of Delivery, PricewaterhouseCoopers 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 III hereto;
(g) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries shall have sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus (i) 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 Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, and (ii) since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus there shall not have been any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any change in or affecting the general affairs, management, financial position, stockholders equity, results of operations, or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the effect of which, in any such case described in clause (i) or (ii), is in the judgment of the Representative so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Shares being delivered at such Time of Delivery on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus;
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(h) On or after the Applicable Time, (i) no downgrading shall have occurred in the rating accorded the Companys debt securities 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, if applicable, 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 Companys debt securities, if applicable;
(i) 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 Exchange (ii) a suspension or material limitation in trading in the Companys securities on the Exchange; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities declared by either Federal or New York or California 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 the judgment of the Representative makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Shares being delivered at such Time of Delivery on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus;
(j) The Shares to be sold at such Time of Delivery shall have been duly listed, subject to notice of issuance, on the Exchange;
(k) The Company shall have obtained and delivered to the Underwriters executed copies of agreements, substantially to the effect set forth on Annex IV hereof in form and substance satisfactory to you, from each of the parties listed on Schedule V hereto;
(j) The Company shall have complied with the provisions of Section 5(c) hereof with respect to the furnishing of prospectuses on the New York Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement; and
(l) The Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to you at such Time of Delivery such documents as you may reasonably request, as well as 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, and as to such other matters as you may reasonably request.
9. (a) The Company will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which such
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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 (A) an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any issuer information filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act, (B) with respect to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement thereto, 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 or (C) with respect to any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, the omission or alleged omission to state therein 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, 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 in the Registration Statement, 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 the Underwriter Information.
(b) Each Underwriter will indemnify and hold harmless the Company against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which the Company 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 (A) an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, (B) with respect to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement thereto, 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, or (C) with respect to any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, the omission or alleged omission to state therein 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, 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, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement
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thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information; and will reimburse the Company 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.
(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) 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 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 a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf of any indemnified party.
(d) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 9 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) 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 (c) above, then each indemnifying party shall contribute
26
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 (d) 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 (d). 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 (d) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (d), 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 (d) to contribute are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint.
(e) In any proceeding relating to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any issuer information filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act, each party against whom contribution may be sought under this Section 9 hereby consents to the jurisdiction of any court having jurisdiction over any other contributing party, agrees that process issuing from such court may be served
27
upon it by any other contributing party and consents to the service of such process and agrees that any other contributing party may join it as an additional defendant in any such proceeding in which such other contributing party is a party.
(f) The obligations of the Company under this Section 9 shall be in addition to any liability which the Company 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 each broker-dealer affiliate of any Underwriter; and the obligations of the Underwriters under this Section 9 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 (including any person who, with his or her consent, is named in the Registration Statement as about to become a director of the Company) and to each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Act.
10. (a) If any Underwriter shall default in its obligation to purchase the Shares which it has agreed to purchase hereunder at a Time of Delivery, 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 Company 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 Company that you have so arranged for the purchase of such Shares, or the Company notifies you that it has so arranged for the purchase of such Shares, you or the Company shall have the right to postpone such 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 or supplements 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 Company 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 to be purchased at such Time of Delivery, then the Company shall have the right to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the number of shares which such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder at such Time of Delivery 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 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.
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(c) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate number of such Shares which remains unpurchased exceeds one-eleventh of the aggregate number of all the Shares to be purchased at such Time of Delivery, or if the Company 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 (or, with respect to the Second Time of Delivery, the obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and of the Company to sell the Optional Shares) shall thereupon terminate, without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company, except for the expenses to be borne by the Company and the Underwriters as provided in Section 7 hereof and the indemnity and contribution agreements in Section 9 hereof; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.
11. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company 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 officer or director or controlling person of the Company, and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Shares.
12. If this Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to Section 10 hereof, the Company shall not then be under any liability to any Underwriter except as provided in Sections 7 and 9 hereof; but, if for any other reason, any Shares are not delivered by or on behalf of the Company as provided herein, except for the non-delivery of Shares based on Section 8(i)(i), Section 8(i)(iii), Section 8(i)(iv) or Section 8(i)(v), the Company 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 not so delivered, but the Company shall then be under no further liability to any Underwriter except as provided in Sections 7 and 9 hereof.
13. In all dealings hereunder, the Representative 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 the Representative.
All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in writing, and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered or sent by mail, nationally recognized overnight courier, telex or facsimile transmission to you as the
29
Representative in care of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, One Bryant Park, New York, New York 10036, Attention: Syndicate Department, with a copy to ECM Legal; and if to the Company shall be delivered or sent by mail, nationally recognized overnight courier, telex or facsimile transmission to the address of the Company set forth in the Registration Statement, Attention: Secretary; provided, however, that any notice to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 9(c) hereof shall be delivered or sent by mail, nationally recognized overnight courier, 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 or the Selling Stockholders by you on request; provided, however, that notices under subsection 5(a)(v) and the lockup letters referred to in Section 8(k) shall be in writing, and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered or sent by mail, nationally recognized overnight courier, telex or facsimile transmission to you as the Representative to Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, One Bryant Park, New York, New York 10036, Attention: Syndicate Department, with a copy to ECM Legal, and, if to any person that has executed a lockup letter described in Section 8(k), at the address set forth in Schedule V. Any such statements, requests, notices or agreements shall take effect upon receipt thereof.
In accordance with the requirements of the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)), the Underwriters are required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies their respective clients, including the Company, which information may include the name and address of their respective clients, as well as other information that will allow the underwriters to properly identify their respective clients.
14. This Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure solely to the benefit of, the Underwriters, the Company and, to the extent provided in Sections 9 and 11 hereof, the officers and directors of the Company and each person who controls the Company 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.
15. Time shall be of the essence of this Agreement. As used herein, the term business day shall mean any day when the Commissions office in Washington, D.C. is open for business.
16. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) the purchase and sale of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement is an arms-length commercial transaction between the Company, 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, (iii) no Underwriter has assumed an
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advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company 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 on other matters) or any other obligation to the Company except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement and (iv) the Company has consulted its own legal and financial advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate. The Company agrees that it 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, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto.
17. This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings (whether written or oral) between the Company and the Underwriters, or any of them, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
18. THIS AGREEMENT AND ANY MATTERS RELATED TO THIS TRANSACTION SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT REGARD TO PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICT OF LAWS THAT WOULD RESULT IN THE APPLICATION OF ANY LAW OTHER THAN THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. The Company agrees that any suit or proceeding arising in respect of this agreement or our engagement will be tried exclusively in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York or, if that court does not have subject matter jurisdiction, in any state court located in The City and County of New York and the Company agrees to submit to the jurisdiction of, and to venue in, such courts.
19. The Company 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.
20. This Agreement may be executed by any one or more of the parties hereto in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument.
21. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Company is authorized to disclose to any persons the U.S. federal and state income 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 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 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.
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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please sign and return to us six 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 between each of the Underwriters and the Company. 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 for examination upon request, but without warranty on your part as to the authority of the signers thereof.
Very truly yours, | ||||
GCT Semiconductor, Inc. | ||||
By: |
| |||
Name: | ||||
Title: | ||||
Accepted as of the date hereof: | ||||
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith | ||||
Incorporated | ||||
By: |
| |||
(Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated) |
On behalf of each of the Underwriters
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SCHEDULE I
| ||||
Underwriter | Total Number Firm Shares to be Purchased | Number of Optional Shares to be Purchased if Maximum Option Exercised | ||
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated | ||||
[Names of other Underwriters] | ||||
|
| |||
Total | ||||
|
|
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SCHEDULE III(a)
Pricing Information
Price Per Share:
Number of Shares to be Sold in this Offering:
SCHEDULE III(b)
Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses
2
SCHEDULE IV
Subsidiaries of the Company
3
SCHEDULE V
Signatories to Lockup Agreements
4
ANNEX I
Form of Press Release
ANNEX II(a)
Form of Opinion of Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP
2
SCHEDULE II(b)
Opinion of Muir Patent Consulting PLLC, Intellectual Property Counsel to the Company
3
ANNEX II(c)
Opinion of Lee & Ko, Special Republic of Korea Counsel to the Company
4
ANNEX III
Letter of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
5
ANNEX IV
Form of Lockup Agreement
6
APPENDIX I
Approved Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses