GLOBALSTAR, INC. (a Delaware corporation) 5.75% Convertible Senior Notes due 2028 UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

EX-1.1 2 a08-10291_1ex1d1.htm EX-1.1

Exhibit 1.1

 

 

 

GLOBALSTAR, INC.

 

(a Delaware corporation)

 

5.75% Convertible Senior Notes due 2028

 

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

 

Dated: April 10, 2008

 

 

 



 

GLOBALSTAR, INC.

 

(a Delaware corporation)

 

$135,000,000

 

5.75% Convertible Senior Notes due 2028

 

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

 

April 10, 2008

 

MERRILL LYNCH & CO.

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith

Incorporated

4 World Financial Center

New York, New York  10080

 

DEUTSCHE BANK SECURITIES INC.

Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.

60 Wall Street

New York, New York  10005

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

Globalstar, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), confirms its agreement with Merrill Lynch & Co., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (“Merrill Lynch”), Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. (“Deutsche Bank”) (collectively, the “Underwriters,” which term shall also include any underwriter substituted as hereinafter provided in Section 10 hereof), with respect to (i) the issue and sale by the Company and the purchase by the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of the respective principal amounts set forth in Schedule A hereto of $135,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Company’s 5.75% Convertible Senior Notes due 2028 (the “Notes”), and (ii) the grant by the Company to the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of the option described in Section 2(b) hereof to purchase all or any part of an additional $15,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Notes to cover overallotments, if any. The aforesaid $135,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Notes (the “Initial Securities”) to be purchased by the Underwriters and all or any part of the $15,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Notes subject to the option described in Section 2(b) hereof (the “Option Securities”) are hereinafter called, collectively, the “Securities.”  The Securities are to be issued pursuant to an indenture dated as of April 15, 2008 (including any supplemental indenture relating to the Securities, the “Indenture”) between the Company and U.S. Bank, National Association, as trustee (the “Trustee”).  Securities issued in book-entry form will be issued to Cede & Co., as nominee of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) pursuant to a letter of representations (the “DTC Agreement”), between the Company and DTC.

 

The Securities are convertible into shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), of the Company (the “Underlying Common Stock”) in accordance with the terms of the Securities and the Indenture, at the initial conversion rate specified in the Final Term Sheet (as defined below), under the circumstances and subject to adjustment as set forth in the Indenture.

 

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Concurrently with the offering and sale of the Securities by the Company pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, the Company is offering, in a transaction registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), and by means of a prospectus supplement, up to 36,144,570 shares of the Company’s Common Stock (the “Concurrent Offering”), which shares the Company has agreed to loan to Merrill Lynch International (“MLI”), an affiliate of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, pursuant to the Share Lending Agreement dated April 10, 2008 between the Company, MLI and Merrill Lynch.

 

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

 

The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-149798), including the related preliminary prospectus or prospectuses, which registration statement was declared effective under the rules and regulations of the Commission under the 1933 Act (the “1933 Act Regulations”) on April 1, 2008.  Such registration statement covers the registration of the Securities and the Underlying Common Stock under the 1933 Act. Promptly after execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company will prepare and file a prospectus in accordance with the provisions of Rule 430B (“Rule 430B”) of the 1933 Act Regulations and paragraph (b) of Rule 424 (“Rule 424(b)”) of the 1933 Act Regulations.  Any information included in such prospectus that was omitted from such registration statement at the time it became effective but that is deemed to be part of and included in such registration statement pursuant to Rule 430B is referred to as “Rule 430B Information.”  Each prospectus used in connection with the offering of the Securities that omitted Rule 430B Information is herein called a “Preliminary Prospectus.”  Such registration statement, at any given time, including the amendments thereto to such time, the exhibits and any schedules thereto at such time, the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act at such time and the documents otherwise deemed to be a part thereof or included therein by 1933 Act Regulations, is herein called the “Registration Statement.”  The Registration Statement at the time it originally became effective is herein called the “Original Registration Statement.”  The final prospectus in the form first furnished to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offering of the Securities, including the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act at the time of the execution of this Agreement and any Preliminary Prospectuses that form a part thereof, is herein called the “Prospectus.”  For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Statutory Prospectus (as hereinafter defined), the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (as hereinafter defined) or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system (“EDGAR”).

 

All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information which is “contained,” “included” or “stated” in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Statutory Prospectus or the Prospectus (or other references of like import) shall be deemed to mean and include all such financial statements and schedules and other information which is incorporated by reference in or otherwise deemed by the 1933 Act Regulations to be a part of or included in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Statutory Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be; and all references in this Agreement to amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Statutory Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to mean and include the filing of any document under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “1934 Act”) which is incorporated by reference in or otherwise deemed by 1933 Act Regulations to be a part of or included in the Registration Statement, such Preliminary Prospectus, the Statutory Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be.

 

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SECTION 1.                                Representations and Warranties.

 

(a)                                  Representations and Warranties by the Company.  The Company represents and warrants to each Underwriter as of the date hereof, the Applicable Time referred to in Section 1(a)(i) hereof and as of the Closing Time referred to in Section 2(c) hereof, and as of each Date of Delivery (if any) referred to in Section 2(b) hereof, and agrees with each Underwriter, as follows:

 

(i)                                     Registration Statement, Prospectus and Disclosure at Time of Sale.  The Original Registration Statement was declared effective under the 1933 Act Regulations on April 1, 2008.  No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued under the 1933 Act and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, are contemplated by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information has been complied with.

 

At the respective times the Original Registration Statement and each amendment thereto became effective, at each deemed effective date with respect to the Underwriters pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(2) of the 1933 Act Regulations and at the Applicable Time and at the Closing Time (and, if any Option Securities are purchased, at the Date of Delivery), the Registration Statement complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations and the 1939 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission under the 1939 Act (the “1939 Act Regulations”), and did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

 

At the time of filing the Original Registration Statement, at the earliest time thereafter that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) of the 1933 Act Regulations) of the Securities and at the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405.

 

Neither the Prospectus nor any amendments or supplements thereto, at the time the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement was issued and at the Closing Time (and, if any Option Securities are purchased, at the Date of Delivery), included or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

 

Each Preliminary Prospectus (including the prospectus or prospectuses filed as part of the Original Registration Statement or any amendment thereto) complied when so filed in all material respects with the 1933 Act Regulations and each Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with this offering was identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

 

As of the Applicable Time (as hereinafter defined), neither (x) the Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus(es) (as defined below) issued at or prior to the Applicable Time, the Statutory Prospectus, the Final Term Sheet (as defined below) and the Preliminary Prospectus, all considered together (collectively, the “General Disclosure Package”), nor (y) any individual Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus, when considered together with the General Disclosure Package, included any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

 

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As used in this subsection and elsewhere in this Agreement:

 

“Applicable Time” means 9:30 am (Eastern time) on April  10, 2008 or such other time as agreed by the Company and the Underwriters.

 

“Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 433”), relating to the Securities that (i) is required to be filed with the Commission by the Company, including the Final Term Sheet, (ii) is a “road show that is a written communication” within the meaning of Rule 433(d)(8)(i), whether or not required to be filed with the Commission or (iii) is exempt from filing pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i) because it contains a description of the Securities or of the offering that does not reflect the final terms, in each case in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g).

 

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

 

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

 

“Statutory Prospectus” as of any time means the prospectus relating to the Securities that is included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to that time, including any document incorporated by reference therein and any Preliminary Prospectus or other prospectus deemed to be a part thereof.

 

Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the public offer and sale of the Securities or until any earlier date that the issuer notified or notifies the Underwriters as described in Section 3(e), did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, including any document incorporated by reference therein and any preliminary or other prospectus deemed to be a part thereof that has not been superseded or modified.

 

The representations and warranties in this subsection shall not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter expressly for use therein.

 

(ii)                                  Incorporated Documents.  The documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, when they became effective or at the time they were or hereafter are filed with the Commission, complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations or the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (the “1934 Act Regulations”), as applicable, and, when read together with the other information in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (a) at the time the Original Registration Statement became effective, (b) at the Applicable Time, (c) at the earlier of the time the Prospectus was first used and the date and time of the first contract of sale of Securities in this offering and (d) at the Closing Time (and if any Option Securities are purchased, at the Date of Delivery), did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a

 

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material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

 

(iii)                               Independent Accountants.  The accountants who certified the financial statements and supporting schedules included in the Registration Statement or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus are an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations.

 

(iv)                              Financial Statements.  The financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, together with the related schedules and notes, present fairly the financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries at the dates indicated and the statement of operations, stockholders’ equity and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries for the periods specified; said financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved.  The supporting schedules, if any, present fairly in accordance with GAAP the information required to be stated therein.  The selected financial data and the summary financial information included in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus present fairly the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.

 

(v)                                 No Material Adverse Change in Business.  Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, except as otherwise stated therein, (A) there has been no material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business (a “Material Adverse Effect”), (B) there have been no transactions entered into by the Company or any of its subsidiaries, other than those in the ordinary course of business, which are material with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, and (C) except as described in the Prospectus there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company on any class of its capital stock.

 

(vi)                              Good Standing of the Company.  The Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware and has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement; and the Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each other jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(vii)                           Good Standing of Subsidiaries.  Each “significant subsidiary” of the Company (as such term is defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X) (each a “Subsidiary” and, collectively, the “Subsidiaries”) has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus and is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not

 

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result in a Material Adverse Effect; except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of each such Subsidiary has been duly authorized and validly issued, is fully paid and non-assessable and is owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity except as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus; none of the outstanding shares of capital stock of any Subsidiary was issued in violation of the pre-emptive or similar rights of any securityholder of such Subsidiary.  The only subsidiaries of the Company are the subsidiaries listed on Schedule D hereto.

 

(viii)                        Capitalization.  Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, the authorized, issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company is as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus under the caption “Capitalization” (except for subsequent issuances, if any, pursuant to this Agreement, pursuant to reservations, agreements or employee benefit plans referred to in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or pursuant to the exercise of convertible securities or options referred to in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus).  The shares of issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; none of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company was issued in violation of the pre-emptive or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company, except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus.

 

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

 

(x)                                   Authorization of the Indenture.  The Indenture has been duly authorized by the Company and duly qualified under the 1939 Act and, when duly executed and delivered by the Company and the Trustee, will constitute a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency (including, without limitation, all laws relating to fraudulent transfers), reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and except as enforcement thereof is subject to general principles of equity (regardless of whether enforcement is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).

 

(xi)                                Authorization of Pledge and Escrow Agreement.  The Pledge and Escrow Agreement by and among the Company, the Trustee and the Escrow Agent, to be dated as of the Closing Time (the “Pledge and Escrow Agreement”) has been duly authorized and, when executed and delivered by the Company, will constitute a legal, valid and binding instrument enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency (including, without limitation, all laws relating to fraudulent transfers), reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and except as enforcement thereof is subject to general principles of equity (regardless of whether enforcement is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).

 

(xii)                             Authorization of the Securities.  The Securities have been duly authorized and, at the Closing Time (and if any Option Securities are purchased, at the Date of Delivery), will have been duly executed by the Company and, when authenticated, issued and delivered in the manner provided for in the Indenture and delivered against payment of the purchase price therefor as provided in this Agreement, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as the enforcement

 

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thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency (including, without limitation, all laws relating to fraudulent transfers), reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and except as enforcement thereof is subject to general principles of equity (regardless of whether enforcement is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law), and will be in the form contemplated by, and entitled to the benefits of, the Indenture.

 

(xiii)                          Description of the Securities and the Indenture.  The Securities and the Indenture will conform in all material respects to the respective statements relating thereto contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and will be in substantially the respective forms filed or incorporated by reference, as the case may be, as exhibits to the Registration Statement.

 

(xiv)                         Authorization and Description of the Underlying Common Stock.  The Underlying Common Stock conforms to all statements relating thereto contained or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. Upon issuance and delivery of the Securities in accordance with this Agreement and the Indenture, the Securities will be convertible at the option of the holder thereof for shares of the Underlying Common Stock in accordance with the terms of the Securities and the Indenture; the shares of the Underlying Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Securities have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance upon such conversion by all necessary corporate action and such shares, when issued upon such conversion, will be validly issued and will be fully paid and non-assessable; no holder of such shares will be subject to personal liability by reason of being such a holder; and the issuance of such shares upon such conversion will not be subject to the pre-emptive or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company.

 

(xv)                            Absence of Defaults and Conflicts.  Except as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of its charter or by-laws or in default in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of them may be bound, or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any subsidiary is subject (collectively, “Agreements and Instruments”) except for such defaults that would not result in a Material Adverse Effect; and the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, the Indenture, the DTC Agreement, the Pledge and Escrow Agreement and the Securities and the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein and therein and in the Registration Statement, the Pledge and Escrow Agreement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (including the issuance and sale of the Securities and the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds”), and the issuance of the shares of Underlying Stock issuable upon conversion of the Securities), and compliance by the Company with its obligations hereunder and under the Indenture, the Pledge and Escrow Agreement and the Securities have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or passage of time or both, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default or Repayment Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any subsidiary pursuant to, the Agreements and Instruments (except for such conflicts, breaches, defaults or Repayment Events or liens, charges or encumbrances that would not result in a Material Adverse Effect), nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws of the Company or any subsidiary or any applicable law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any government, government instrumentality or

 

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court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any subsidiary or any of their assets, properties or operations (including, without limitation, the Federal Communications Commission (the “FCC”)).  As used herein, a “Repayment Event” means any event or condition which gives the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any subsidiary.

 

(xvi)                         Absence of Labor Dispute.  No labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any subsidiary exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent, and the Company is not aware of any existing or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of its or any subsidiary’s principal suppliers, manufacturers, customers or contractors, which, in either case, is likely to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(xvii)                      Absence of Proceedings.  There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation before or brought by any court or governmental agency or body, domestic or foreign, now pending, or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, against or affecting the Company or any subsidiary, which is required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (other than as disclosed therein), or which might result in a Material Adverse Effect, or which might materially and adversely affect the properties or assets thereof or the consummation of the transactions contemplated in this Agreement or the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder; the aggregate of all pending legal or governmental proceedings to which the Company or any subsidiary is a party or of which any of their respective property or assets is the subject which are not described in the Registration Statement, General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, including ordinary routine litigation incidental to the business, would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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

 

(xix)                           Possession of Intellectual Property.  The Company and its subsidiaries own or possess, or can acquire on reasonable terms, adequate patents, patent rights, licenses, inventions, copyrights, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names or other intellectual property (collectively, “Intellectual Property”) necessary to carry on the business now operated by them, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice or is otherwise aware of any infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any Intellectual Property or of any facts or circumstances which would render any Intellectual Property invalid or inadequate to protect the interest of the Company or any of its subsidiaries therein, and which infringement or conflict (if the subject of any unfavorable decision, ruling or finding) or invalidity or inadequacy, singly or in the aggregate, would result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(xx)                              Absence of Manipulation.  Neither the Company nor any affiliate of the Company has taken, nor will the Company or any affiliate take, directly or indirectly, any action which is designed to or which has constituted or which would be expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.

 

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(xxi)                           Absence of Further Requirements.  No filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any court or governmental authority or agency is necessary or required for the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder, in connection with the offering, issuance or sale of the Securities hereunder, the issuance of shares of Underlying Common Stock upon conversion of the Securities, the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or for the due execution, delivery or performance of the Indenture by the Company, except such as have been already obtained or as may be required under the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations or state securities laws and except for the qualification of the Indenture under the 1939 Act.

 

(xxii)                        Possession of Licenses and Permits.  The Company and its subsidiaries possess such permits, licenses, approvals, consents and other authorizations (collectively, “Governmental Licenses”) issued by the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign regulatory agencies or bodies (including, without limitation, the FCC) necessary to conduct the business now operated by them, except where the failure so to possess would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect; the Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms and conditions of all such Governmental Licenses, except where the failure so to comply would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect; all of the Governmental Licenses are valid and in full force and effect, except when the invalidity of such Governmental Licenses or the failure of such Governmental Licenses to be in full force and effect would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such Governmental Licenses which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(xxiii)                     Title to Property.  The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all real property owned by the Company and its subsidiaries and good title to all other properties owned by them, in each case, free and clear of all mortgages, pledges, liens, security interests, claims, restrictions or encumbrances of any kind except such as (a) are described in the Registration Statement, General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or (b) do not, singly or in the aggregate, materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company or any of its subsidiaries; and all of the leases and subleases material to the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one enterprise, and under which the Company or any of its subsidiaries holds properties described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, are in full force and effect, and neither the Company nor any subsidiary has any notice of any material claim of any sort that has been asserted by anyone adverse to the rights of the Company or any subsidiary under any of the leases or subleases mentioned above, or affecting or questioning the rights of the Company or such subsidiary to the continued possession of the leased or subleased premises under any such lease or sublease.

 

(xxiv)                    Investment Company Act.  The Company is not required, and upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated and the application of the net proceeds therefrom as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus will not be required, to register as, an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).

 

(xxv)                       Environmental Laws.  Except as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus and except as would not, singly or in the aggregate, be likely to result in a Material Adverse Effect, (A) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any federal, state, local or foreign statute, law, rule, regulation,

 

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ordinance, code, policy or rule of common law or any judicial or administrative interpretation thereof, including any judicial or administrative order, consent, decree or judgment, relating to pollution or protection of human health, the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including, without limitation, laws and regulations relating to the release or threatened release of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous substances, petroleum or petroleum products, asbestos-containing materials or mold (collectively, “Hazardous Materials”) or to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), (B) the Company and its subsidiaries have all permits, authorizations and approvals required under any applicable Environmental Laws and are each in compliance with their requirements, (C) there are no pending or threatened administrative, regulatory or judicial actions, suits, demands, demand letters, claims, liens, notices of noncompliance or violation, investigation or proceedings relating to any Environmental Law against the Company or any of its subsidiaries and (D) there are no events or circumstances that would reasonably be expected to form the basis of an order for clean-up or remediation, or an action, suit or proceeding by any private party or governmental body or agency, against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries relating to Hazardous Materials or any Environmental Laws.

 

(xxvi)       Registration Rights.  Except for such rights as have been satisfied or waived, there are no persons with registration rights or other similar rights to have any securities registered pursuant to the Registration Statement or otherwise registered by the Company under the 1933 Act.

 

(xxvii)      ERISA.  Except as set forth or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has violated any provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, except for violations which, singly or in the aggregate, would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(xxviii)     Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.  Neither the Company nor, 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”), including without limitation, making use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce corruptly in the 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 and the Company and to the knowledge of the Company, its affiliates have conducted their businesses in compliance with the FCPA and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure and which are reasonable expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith.

 

(xxix)       Insurance.  The Company and its subsidiaries carry or are entitled to the benefits of insurance, with financially sound and reputable insurers, in such amounts and covering such risks as is generally maintained by companies of established repute engaged in the same or similar business, and all such insurance is in full force and effect.  The Company has no reason to believe that it or any subsidiary will not be able (A) to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such policies expire or (B) to obtain comparable coverage from similar institutions as may be necessary or appropriate to conduct its business as now conducted and at a cost that

 

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would not result in a Material Adverse Effect. Neither of the Company nor any subsidiary has been denied any insurance coverage which it has sought or for which it has applied.

 

(xxx)        Accounting Controls and Disclosure Controls.  The Company and each of its subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (1) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (2) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets; (3) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (4) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.  Except as described in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal year, there has been (I) no material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and (II) no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

The Company and its consolidated subsidiaries employ disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the 1934 Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, and is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its principal executive officer or officers and principal financial officer or officers, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding disclosure.

 

(xxxi)       Payment of Taxes.  All United States federal income tax returns of the Company and its subsidiaries required by law to be filed have been filed and all taxes shown by such returns or otherwise assessed, which are due and payable, have been paid, except assessments against which appeals have been or will be promptly taken and as to which adequate reserves have been provided.  The Company and its subsidiaries have filed all other tax returns that are required to have been filed by them pursuant to applicable foreign, state, local or other law except insofar as the failure to file such returns would not result in a Material Adverse Effect, and has paid all taxes due pursuant to such returns or pursuant to any assessment received by the Company and its subsidiaries, except for such taxes, if any, as are being contested in good faith and as to which adequate reserves have been provided.  The charges, accruals and reserves on the books of the Company in respect of any income and corporation tax liability for any years not finally determined are adequate to meet any assessments or re-assessments for additional income tax for any years not finally determined, except to the extent of any inadequacy that would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(xxxii)      Statistical and Market-Related Data.  Any statistical and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes to be reliable and accurate, and the Company has obtained any written consent required for the use of such data from such sources.

 

(xxxiii)     Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.  Except as disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006 with respect to a “material weakness,” there is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply in all material respects with any provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in

 

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connection therewith (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications.

 

(xxxiv)     Pending Proceedings and Examinations.  The Registration Statement is not the subject of a pending proceeding or examination under Section 8(d) or 8(e) of the 1933 Act, and the Company is not the subject of a pending proceeding under Section 8A of the 1933 Act in connection with the offering of the Securities.

 

(xxxv)      Regulatory Compliance.  The Company has operated and currently is in compliance with all applicable rules, regulations and policies of the FCC, except where the failure so to comply would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(xxxvi)     FCC Orders.  The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this  Agreement does not and will not breach the terms of any order, judgment or decree of the FCC or any federal advisory agency appointed or established by the FCC or under any federal or state communications or telecommunications law, rule or regulation applicable to the Company or its subsidiaries.

 

(xxxvii)    Communications Laws.  The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement: (i) does not and will not violate any federal or state communications or telecommunications law, rule or regulation applicable to the Company or its subsidiaries; and (ii) does not and will not require any filing with or approval, consent, authorization or order of, or qualification with the FCC, any federal advisory agency appointed or established by the FCC or any federal or state agency, except such as have been obtained.

 

(xxxviii)   Money Laundering Laws.  The operations of the Company are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened.

 

(xxxix)      OFAC.  Neither the Company nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or person acting on behalf of the Company is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of Treasury (“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.

 

(xl)           Solvency.  As of the Applicable Time, and at the Closing Time (and any Date of Delivery), the Company is not “insolvent” (as such term is defined under Section 101(32) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code)).

 

(xli)          Escrow Account.  The Company shall not, and shall cause its affiliates not to, seek the release of the funds or any other assets held in the Escrow Account (as defined in the Pledge and Escrow Agreement) unless such release is in compliance with the terms of the Indenture and the Pledge and Escrow Agreement.

 

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

 

SECTION 2.           Sale and Delivery to Underwriters; Closing.

 

(a)           Initial Securities.  On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein  set forth, the Company agrees to sell to each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, and each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase from the Company, at a purchase price of 97% of the aggregate principal amount of the Securities (the “Purchase Price”), the aggregate principal amount of Initial Securities set forth in Schedule A opposite the name of such Underwriter, plus any additional principal amount of Securities which such Underwriter may become obligated to purchase pursuant to the provisions of Section 10 hereof.

 

(b)           Option Securities.  In addition, on the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company hereby grants an option to the Underwriters, severally and not jointly, to purchase up to an additional $15,000,000 aggregate principal amount of Option Securities at the Purchase Price, plus accrued interest, if any, from the Closing Time to the Date of Delivery (as defined below). The option hereby granted will expire 30 days from and including the date hereof, and may be exercised in whole or in part from time to time only for the purpose of covering overallotments which may be made in connection with the offering and distribution of the Initial Securities upon written notice by the Underwriters to the Company setting forth the number of Option Securities as to which the several Underwriters are then exercising the option and the time and date of payment and delivery for such Option Securities. Any such time and date of delivery (a “Date of Delivery”) shall be at least two business days after written notice is given as determined by the Underwriters, but shall not be later than seven full business days after the exercise of said option, nor in any event prior to the Closing Time, as hereinafter defined.  If the option is exercised as to all or any portion of the Option Securities, each of the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, will purchase that proportion of the aggregate principal amount of Option Securities then being purchased which the principal amount of Initial Securities set forth in Schedule A opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the aggregate principal amount of Initial Securities.

 

(c)           Payment.  Payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of the Initial Securities shall be made at the offices of Davis Polk & Wardwell, 1600 El Camino Real, Menlo Park CA  94025, or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Underwriters and the Company, at 9:00 A.M. (Eastern time) on the third (fourth, if the pricing occurs after 4:30 P.M. (Eastern time) on any given day) business day after the date hereof (unless postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 10), or such other time not later than ten business days after such date as shall be agreed upon by the Underwriters and the Company (such time and date of payment and delivery being herein called “Closing Time”).

 

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

 

Payment shall be made to the Company by wire transfer of immediately available funds to a bank account designated by the Company, against delivery to Merrill Lynch for the respective accounts of the Underwriters of the Securities to be purchased by them.  It is understood that each Underwriter has authorized Merrill Lynch, for such Underwriter’s account, to accept delivery of, receipt for, and make payment of the purchase price for, the Initial Securities which it has agreed to purchase.  Merrill Lynch may (but shall not be obligated to) make payment of the purchase price for the Initial Securities or the

 

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Option Securities, if any, to be purchased by any Underwriter whose funds have not been received by the Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, as the case may be, but such payment shall not relieve such Underwriter from its obligations hereunder.

 

(d)           Denominations; Registration.  The Initial Securities and the Option Securities, if any, shall be evidenced by one or more global securities registered in the name of Cede & Co., as nominee of DTC for the account of the Underwriters against payment to or upon the order of the Company of the purchase price by wire transfer in immediately available funds. The certificates for the Initial Securities and the Option Securities, if any, will be made available for examination and packaging by the Underwriters in The City of New York not later than 10:00 A.M. (Eastern time) on the business day prior to the Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, as the case may be.

 

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

 

(a)           Compliance with Securities Regulations and Commission Requests; Payment of Filing Fees.  The Company, subject to Section 3(b), will comply with the requirements of Rule 430B and Rule 424, as applicable, and will notify the Underwriters immediately, and confirm the notice in writing, (i) when any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or new registration statement relating to the Securities shall become effective, or any supplement to the Prospectus or any amended Prospectus shall have been filed, (ii) of the receipt of any comments from the Commission, (iii) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or the filing of a new registration statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or any document incorporated by reference therein or otherwise deemed to be a part thereof or for additional information, (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or such new registration statement or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, or of the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any of such purposes or of any examination pursuant to Section 8(e) of the 1933 Act concerning the Registration Statement and (v) if the Company becomes the subject of a proceeding under Section 8A of the 1933 Act in connection with the offering of the Securities.  The Company will effect the filings required under Rule 424(b), in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8)), and will take such steps as it deems necessary to ascertain promptly whether the form of prospectus transmitted for filing under Rule 424(b) was received for filing by the Commission and, in the event that it was not, it will promptly file such prospectus.  The Company will make every reasonable effort to prevent the issuance of any stop order and, if any stop order is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment.

 

(b)           Filing of Amendments and Exchange Act Documents; Preparation of Final Term Sheet.  The Company will give the Underwriters notice of its intention to file or prepare any amendment to the Registration Statement or new registration statement relating to the Securities or any amendment, supplement or revision to either any Preliminary Prospectus (including any prospectus included in the Original Registration Statement or amendment thereto at the time it became effective) or to the Prospectus, whether pursuant to the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act or otherwise, and the Company will furnish the Underwriters with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing or use, as the case may be, and will not file or use any such document to which the Underwriters or counsel for the Underwriters shall object. The Company has given the Underwriters notice of any filings made pursuant to the 1934 Act or 1934 Act Regulations within 48 hours prior to the Applicable Time; the Company will give the Underwriters notice of its intention to make any such filing from the Applicable Time to the Closing Time and will furnish the Underwriters with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing and will not file or use any such document to

 

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which the Underwriters or counsel for the Underwriters shall object.  The Company will prepare a final term sheet (the “Final Term Sheet”), attached hereto as Schedule B, reflecting the final terms of the Securities, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, and shall file such Final Term Sheet as an “issuer free writing prospectus” pursuant to Rule 433 prior to the close of business two business days after the date hereof; provided that the Company shall furnish the Underwriters with copies of any such Final Term Sheet a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing and will not use or file any such document to which the Underwriters or counsel to the Underwriters shall object.

 

(c)           Delivery of Registration Statements.  The Company has furnished or will deliver to the Underwriters and counsel for the Underwriters, without charge, signed copies of the Original Registration Statement and of each amendment thereto (including exhibits filed therewith or incorporated by reference therein and documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein or otherwise deemed to be a part thereof) and signed copies of all consents and certificates of experts, and will also deliver to the Underwriters, without charge, a conformed copy of the Original Registration Statement and of each amendment thereto (without exhibits) for each of the Underwriters.  The copies of the Original Registration Statement and each amendment thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

 

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

 

(e)           Continued Compliance with Securities Laws.  The Company will comply with the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations, the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations and the 1939 Act and the 1939 Act Regulations so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Securities as contemplated in this Agreement and in the Prospectus.  If at any time when a prospectus is required by the 1933 Act to be delivered in connection with sales of the Securities, any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which it is necessary, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters or for the Company, to amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order that the Prospectus will not include any untrue statements of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances existing at the time it is delivered to a purchaser, or if it shall be necessary, in the opinion of such counsel, at any such time to amend the Registration Statement or to file a new registration statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to comply with the requirements of the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations, the Company will promptly prepare and file with the Commission, subject to Section 3(b), such amendment, supplement or new registration statement as may be necessary to correct such statement or omission or to comply with such requirements, the Company will use its best efforts to have such amendment or new registration statement declared effective as soon as practicable (if it is not an automatic shelf registration statement with respect to the Securities) and the Company will furnish to the Underwriters such number of copies of such amendment, supplement or new registration statement as the Underwriters may reasonably request.  If at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicted or would conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement (or any other registration statement relating to the Securities) or the Statutory Prospectus or any Preliminary Prospectus or included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact

 

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necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances prevailing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Underwriters and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement or omission.

 

(f)            Blue Sky Qualifications.  The Company will use its best efforts, in cooperation with the Underwriters, to qualify the Securities and the shares of Underlying Common Stock for offering and sale under the applicable securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions as the Underwriters may designate and to maintain such qualifications in effect for a period of not less than one year from the date hereof; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or so subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject. The Company will also supply the Underwriters with such information as is necessary for the determination of the legality of the Securities for investment under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Underwriters may request.

 

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

 

(h)           Use of Proceeds.  The Company will use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Securities in the manner specified in the Prospectus under “Use of Proceeds.”

 

(i)            Listing.  The Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to effect and maintain the quotation of the Underlying Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Securities on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.

 

(j)            Restriction on Sale of Securities.  During a period of 90 days from the date of the Prospectus, the Company will not, without the prior written consent of the Underwriters, (i) directly or indirectly, issue, offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase or otherwise transfer or dispose of any share of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or file any registration statement under the 1933 Act with respect to any of the foregoing or (ii) enter into any swap or any other agreement or any transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, the economic consequence of ownership of the Common Stock, whether any such swap or transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise.  The foregoing sentence shall not apply to (A) the Securities to be sold hereunder or the issuance and sale by the Company of the Common Stock in connection with the Concurrent Offering; (B) the issuance by the Company of up to 120,000 shares of Common Stock to Peter J. Dalton pursuant to the exercise of the option granted by the Company to Mr. Dalton outstanding as of the date hereof; (B) the issuance of shares of Common Stock by the Company pursuant to the Company’s 2006 Equity Incentive Plan as in effect as of the date hereof; or (C) the issuance of shares of Common Stock by the Company pursuant to the exchange by the Company of some or all of the debt held by Thermo Funding Company, LLC for Common Stock; provided, that the shares of Common Stock issued to any person or entity that has delivered a lock-up agreement pursuant to this Agreement shall continue to be subject to the restrictions contained in such lock-up agreement.

 

(k)           Reservation of Securities. The Company will reserve and keep available at all times, free of pre-emptive or other similar rights, a sufficient number of shares of Common Stock, for the purposes

 

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of enabling the Company to satisfy any obligations to issue Underlying Common Stock upon conversion of the Securities.

 

(l)            Reporting Requirements.  The Company, during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act, will file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the 1934 Act within the time periods required by the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations.

 

(m)          DTC. The Company will cooperate with the Underwriters to permit the offered Securities to be eligible for clearance and settlement through the facilities of the DTC.

 

(n)           Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses.  The Company represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior written consent of the Underwriters, and each Underwriter represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior written consent of the Company, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 405, required to be filed with the Commission; provided, however, that prior to the preparation of the Final Term Sheet in accordance with Section 3(b), the Underwriters are authorized to use the information with respect to the final terms of the Securities in communications conveying information relating to the offering to investors.  Any such free writing prospectus consented to by the Company and the Underwriters is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.”  The Company represents that it has treated or agrees that it will treat each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, and has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission where required, legending and record keeping.

 

SECTION 4.           Payment of Expenses.

 

(a)           Expenses.  The Company will pay or cause to be paid all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including (i) the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement (including financial statements and exhibits) as originally filed and of each amendment thereto, (ii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Underwriters of this Agreement, any Agreement among Underwriters, the Indenture, the Securities and such other documents as may be required in connection with the offering, purchase, sale, issuance or delivery of the Securities or the issuance or delivery of the Underlying Common Stock issuable upon conversion thereof, (iii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the certificates for the Securities to the Underwriters, including any stock or other transfer taxes, any stamp or other duties payable upon the sale, issuance and delivery of the Securities to the Underwriters and the certificates for the Underlying Common Stock upon conversion thereof, (iv) the fees and disbursements of the Company’s counsel, accountants and other advisors, (v) the qualification of the Securities and the Underlying Common Stock under securities laws in accordance with the provisions of Section 3(f) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection therewith and in connection with the preparation of the Blue Sky Survey and any supplement thereto, (vi) the printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of each Preliminary Prospectus, any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus and of the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto and any costs associated with electronic delivery of any of the foregoing by the Underwriters to investors, (vii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of the Blue Sky Survey and any supplement thereto, (viii) the fees and expenses of the Trustee, including the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Trustee in connection with the Indenture and the Securities, (ix) the fees and expenses of any transfer agent or registrar for the Underlying Common Stock; (x) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the Securities, including without limitation, expenses

 

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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 such consultants, and the cost of aircraft and other transportation chartered in connection with the road show, (xi)  the filing fees incident to, and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters in connection with, the review by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) of the terms of the sale of the Securities, (xii) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the inclusion of the Underlying Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Securities in the NASDAQ Global Select Market, and (xiii) the costs and expenses associated with the reforming of any contracts for sale of the Securities made by the Underwriters caused by a breach of the representation contained in the third paragraph of Section 1(a)(ii).

 

(b)           Termination of Agreement.  If this Agreement is terminated by the Underwriters in accordance with the provisions of Section 5, Section 9(a)(i) or Section 12 hereof, the Company shall reimburse the Underwriters for all of their out-of-pocket expenses, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters.

 

SECTION 5.           Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations.  The obligations of the several Underwriters hereunder are subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company contained in Section 1 hereof or in certificates of any officer of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company delivered pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder, and to the following further conditions:

 

(a)           Effectiveness of Registration Statement; Filing of Prospectus; Payment of Filing Fee.  The Registration Statement has become effective and at the Closing Time (and, if any Option Securities are purchased, at the Date of Delivery)  no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued under the 1933 Act or proceedings therefor initiated or threatened by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of counsel to the Underwriters.  A prospectus containing  the Rule 430B Information shall have been filed with the Commission in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8) (or a post-effective amendment providing such information shall have been filed and become effective in accordance with the requirements of Rule 430B).  The Final Term Sheet and any other material required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the 1933 Act Regulations shall have been timely filed.

 

(b)           Opinion of Counsel for Company.  At Closing Time, the Underwriters shall have received the favorable opinion, dated as of Closing Time, of Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, counsel for the Company, in form and substance satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the Underwriters to the effect set forth in Exhibit A hereto and to such further effect as counsel to the Underwriters may reasonably request.

 

(c)           Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters.  At Closing Time, the Underwriters shall have received the favorable opinion, dated as of Closing Time, of Davis Polk & Wardwell, counsel for the Underwriters, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the Underwriters in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters.

 

(d)           Officers’ Certificate.  At Closing Time, there shall not have been, since the date hereof or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Prospectus or the General Disclosure Package, any material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, and the Underwriters shall have received a certificate of the Chief Executive Officer or a Vice President of the Company and of the chief financial or chief accounting

 

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officer of the Company, dated as of Closing Time, to the effect that (i) there has been no such material adverse change, (ii) the representations and warranties in Section 1(a) hereof are true and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of Closing Time, (iii) the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to Closing Time, and (iv) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to their knowledge, contemplated by the Commission.

 

(e)           Accountants’ Comfort Letter.  At the time of the execution of this Agreement, the Underwriters shall have received from Crowe Chizek and Company LLP a letter dated such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to certain of the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

 

(f)            Bring-down Comfort Letter.  At Closing Time, the Underwriters shall have received from Crowe Chizek and Company LLP a letter, dated as of Closing Time, to the effect that they reaffirm the statements made in the letter furnished pursuant to subsection (e) of this Section, except that the specified date referred to shall be a date not more than three business days prior to Closing Time.

 

(g)           Chief Financial Officer’s Certificate.  At the time of the execution of this Agreement and at Closing Time, the Underwriters shall have received a certificate of the chief financial or chief accounting officer of the Company dated, respectively, as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Time, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, relating to certain financial data of the Company.

 

(h)           No Objection.  FINRA shall have confirmed that it has not raised any objection with respect to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements.

 

(i)            Lock-up Agreements.  At the date of this Agreement, the Underwriters shall have received an agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto signed by the persons and entities listed on Schedule E hereto.

 

(j)            Pledge and Escrow Agreement.  At Closing Time, the Company shall have entered into a Pledge and Escrow Agreement with the Escrow Agent and the Trustee in substantially the form of Exhibit C hereto, which shall provide for the deposit by the Company into the Escrow Account of an amount of funds that the Underwriters have determined is sufficient to make payments of the aggregate amount of the first six semi-annual interest payments payable to the holders of the Notes.

 

(k)           Approval of Listing.            At Closing Time, the Underlying Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Securities shall have been approved for listing on The NASDAQ Global Select Market.

 

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

 

(i)    Officers’ Certificate.  A certificate, dated as of such Date of Delivery, of the Chief Executive Officer or a Vice President of the Company and of the chief financial or chief

 

19



 

accounting officer of the Company confirming that the certificate delivered at the Closing Time pursuant to Section 5(d) hereof remains true and correct as of such Date of Delivery.

 

(ii)       Opinions of Counsel for Company.  An opinion of Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, counsel for the Company, in form and substance satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters, dated such Date of Delivery, relating to the Option Securities to be purchased on such Date of Delivery and otherwise to the same effect as the opinions required by Section 5(b) hereof.

 

(iii)      Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters.  An opinion of Davis Polk & Wardwell, counsel for the Underwriters, dated such Date of Delivery, relating to the Option Securities to be purchased on such Date of Delivery and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(c) hereof.

 

(iv)     Bring-down Comfort Letter.  A letter from Crowe Chizek and Company LLP, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters and dated such Date of Delivery, substantially in the same form and substance as the letter furnished to the Underwriters pursuant to Section 5(f) hereof, except that the “specified date” in the letter furnished pursuant to this paragraph shall be a date not more than five days prior to such Date of Delivery.

 

(v)      Chief Financial Officer’s Certificate.  A certificate of the chief financial or chief accounting officer of the Company, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters and dated such Date of Delivery, substantially in the same form and substance as the certificate furnished to the Underwriters pursuant to Section 5(g) hereof.

 

(m)          Additional Documents.  At Closing Time, and at each Date of Delivery, counsel for the Underwriters shall have been furnished with such documents and opinions as they may require for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the fulfillment of any of the conditions, herein contained; and all proceedings taken by the Company in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated shall be satisfactory in form and substance to the Underwriters and counsel for the Underwriters.

 

(n)           Concurrent Offering.  The Concurrent Offering of the Common Stock substantially on the terms described in the Prospectus shall have been consummated at the Closing Time.

 

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

 

SECTION 6.           Indemnification.

 

(a)           Indemnification of Underwriters.  The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its affiliates, its selling agents, each of their respective officers, directors, partners, employees, representatives and agents and each person as such term is defined in Rule 501(b) under the

 

20



 

1933 Act (each, an “Affiliate”), and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act as follows:

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

provided, however, that this indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense to the extent arising out of any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430B Information or any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto).

 

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

 

(c)           Actions against Parties; Notification.  Each indemnified party shall give notice as promptly as reasonably practicable to each indemnifying party of any action commenced against it in respect of which indemnity may be sought hereunder, but failure to so notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve such indemnifying party from any liability hereunder to the extent it is not materially prejudiced as a result thereof and in any event shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have

 

21



 

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

 

(d)           Settlement without Consent if Failure to Reimburse.  If at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel, such indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated by Section 6(a) (ii) effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 45 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 30 days prior to such settlement being entered into and (iii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed such indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement.

 

SECTION 7.           Contribution.  If the indemnification provided for in Section 6 hereof is for any reason unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount of such losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by such indemnified party, as incurred, (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations.

 

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

 

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

 

22



 

by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

 

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

 

Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

SECTION 9.           Termination of Agreement.

 

(a)           Termination; General.  The Underwriters may terminate this Agreement, by notice to the Company, at any time at or prior to Closing Time (i) if there has been, since the time of execution of this Agreement or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto) or the General Disclosure Package, any material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, or (ii) if there has occurred any material adverse change in the financial markets in the United States or the international financial markets, any outbreak of hostilities or escalation thereof or other calamity or crisis or any change or development involving a prospective change in national or international political, financial or economic conditions, in each case the effect of which is such as to make it, in the judgment of

 

23



 

the Underwriters, impracticable or inadvisable to market the Securities or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Securities, or (iii) if trading in any securities of the Company has been suspended or materially limited by the Commission or The NASDAQ Global Select Market, or if trading generally on the American Stock Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange or The NASDAQ Global Select Market has been suspended or materially limited, or minimum or maximum prices for trading have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices have been required, by any of said exchanges or by such system or by order of the Commission, FINRA or any other governmental authority, or a material disruption has occurred in commercial banking or securities settlement, or (iv)  a material disruption has occurred in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States, or (v) if a banking moratorium has been declared by either Federal or New York authorities.

 

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

 

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

 

(a)           if the aggregate principal amount of Defaulted Securities does not exceed 10% of the aggregate principal amount of the Securities to be purchased hereunder, the non-defaulting Underwriter shall be obligated to purchase the full amount thereof, or

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

SECTION 11.         Tax Disclosure.  Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, from the commencement of discussions with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby, the Company (and each employee, representative or other agent of the Company) may disclose to any and all persons, without limitation of any kind, the tax treatment and tax structure (as such terms are used in Sections 6011, 6111 and 6112 of the U.S. Code and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder) of the

 

24



 

transactions contemplated by this Agreement and all materials of any kind (including opinions or other tax analyses) that are provided relating to such tax treatment and tax structure.  For purposes of the foregoing, the term “tax treatment” is the purported or claimed federal income tax treatment of the transactions contemplated hereby, and the term “tax structure” includes any fact that may be relevant to understanding the purported or claimed federal income tax treatment of the transactions contemplated hereby.

 

SECTION 12.         Default by the Company.  If the Company shall fail at Closing Time or at the Date of Delivery to sell the Securities that it is obligated to sell hereunder, then this Agreement shall terminate without any liability on the part of any nondefaulting party; provided, however, that the provisions of Sections 1, 4, 6, 7 and 8 shall remain in full force and effect.  No action taken pursuant to this Section shall relieve the Company from liability, if any, in respect of such default.

 

SECTION 13.         Notices.  All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted by any standard form of telecommunication.  Notices to the Underwriters shall be directed to Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated at 4 World Financial Center, New York, New York 10080, attention of Equity Capital Markets with a copy to attention of Global Origination Counsel and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. at 60 Wall Street, New York, New York 10005, attention of Equity Capital Markets Syndicate Desk, with a copy to attention of General Counsel; and notices to the Company shall be directed to it at 461 So. Milpitas Boulevard, Milpitas, California 95035, attention of Chief Financial Officer with a copy to Gerald S. Greenberg, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, 425 Walnut Street, Cincinnati OH 45202.

 

SECTION 14.         No Advisory or Fiduciary Relationship.  The Company acknowledges and agrees that (a) the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement, including the determination of the public offering price of the Securities and any related discounts and commissions, is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other hand, (b) in connection with the offering contemplated hereby and the process leading to such transaction each Underwriter is and has been acting solely as a principal and is not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, or its stockholders, creditors, employees or any other party, (c) no Underwriter has assumed or will assume an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) and no Underwriter has any obligation to the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement, (d) the Underwriters and their respective affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Company, and (e) the Underwriters have not provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the offering contemplated hereby and the Company has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate.

 

SECTION 15.         Integration.  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.

 

SECTION 16.         Parties.  This Agreement shall each inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Underwriters and the Company and their respective successors.  Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person, firm or corporation, other than the Underwriters and the Company and their respective successors and the controlling persons and officers and directors referred to in Sections 6 and 7 and their heirs and legal representatives, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision herein contained.  This Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof are intended to be for the sole and exclusive

 

25



 

benefit of the Underwriters and the Company and their respective successors, and said controlling persons and officers and directors and their heirs and legal representatives, and for the benefit of no other person, firm or corporation.  No purchaser of Securities from any Underwriter shall be deemed to be a successor by reason merely of such purchase.

 

SECTION 17.         GOVERNING LAW.  THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

 

SECTION 18.         TIME.  TIME SHALL BE OF THE ESSENCE OF THIS AGREEMENT.  EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE SET FORTH HEREIN, SPECIFIED TIMES OF DAY REFER TO NEW YORK CITY TIME.

 

SECTION 19.         Counterparts.  This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement.

 

SECTION 20.         Effect of Headings.  The Section headings herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.

 

26



 

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

 

 

Very truly yours,

 

 

 

GLOBALSTAR, INC.

 

 

 

 

 

By

/s/ Fuad Ahmad

 

  Title:  Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

 

CONFIRMED AND ACCEPTED,

as of the date first above written:

 

 

MERRILL LYNCH & CO.

MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH

INCORPORATED

DEUTSCHE BANK SECURITIES INC.

 

 

By: MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH

INCORPORATED

 

 

By

/s/ Harris Hwang

 

 

Authorized Signatory

 

 

 

By: DEUTSCHE BANK SECURITIES INC.

 

 

By

/s/ Edward Dunn

 

 

Authorized Signatory

 

 

 

By

/s/ Mohit Pande

 

 

Authorized Signatory

 

 

27



 

SCHEDULE A

 

Name of Underwriter

 

Principal
Amount of Initial
Securities

 

Principal Amount of
Option
Securities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated

 

$

84,375,000

 

$

9,375,000

 

Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.

 

$

50,625,000

 

$

5,625,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

$

135,000,000

 

$

15,000,000

 

 

Sch A-1