Overture Acquisition Corp. 15,000,000 Units Ordinary Shares Warrants Underwriting Agreement
Ex 1.1
Overture Acquisition Corp.
15,000,000 Units
Ordinary Shares
Warrants
Underwriting Agreement
January ___, 2008
J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.
As Representative of the
several Underwriters listed
in Schedule 1 hereto
c/o J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.
270 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10017
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Overture Acquisition Corp, a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the Company), proposes to issue and sell to the several Underwriters listed in Schedule 1 hereto (the Underwriters), for whom you are acting as representative (the Representative), an aggregate of 15,000,000 units (the Units) of the Company (the Underwritten Securities) and, at the option of the Underwriters, up to an additional 2,250,000 Units of the Company to cover over-allotments (the Option Securities). The Underwritten Securities and the Option Securities are herein referred to as the Securities.
Each Unit consists of one ordinary share, par value $.0001 per share (an Ordinary Share), and one warrant to purchase one Ordinary Share (a Warrant). The Ordinary Shares and the Warrants included in the Units will not be separately transferable until the 35th day after the date of the Prospectus (as defined below) unless the Representative informs the Company of the Underwriters decision that an earlier date is acceptable. In no event will the Underwriters allow separate trading of the Ordinary Shares and Warrants until the Company files an audited balance sheet reflecting receipt by the Company of the proceeds of the offering with the U.S., Securities and Exchange Commission on a Form 8-K or similar form. Each Warrant entitles its holder, upon exercise, to purchase one Ordinary Share for $7.50, subject to certain adjustments, during the period commencing on the later of the completion by the Company of its Initial Business Combination (as defined below) or fifteen months from the date of the Prospectus and terminating on the five-year anniversary of the date of the Prospectus or earlier upon redemption or liquidation of the Trust Account (as defined below). As used herein, the term Initial Business Combination shall mean acquisition, a merger, share capital exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more operating businesses.
On September 28, 2007, pursuant to a Share Purchase Agreement (the Share Purchase Agreement) the Company sold in a private placement to Marc Blazer and John Hunt and Marc Blazer and John Hunt purchased from the Company 4,312,500 Ordinary Shares (the Founders Shares) for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, and on October 25, 2007, pursuant to a Sponsors Warrants Securities Purchase Agreement (the Warrant Purchase Agreement and collectively with the Share Purchase Agreement, the Purchase Agreements) the Company agreed to sell to John Hunt, Lawton Fitt, Paul Pressler, Andrew Lufkin, Marc Blazer, Domenico De Sole and Mark Booth (collectively, the Sponsors) and the Sponsors agreed to purchase from the Company on the Closing Date (as defined herein) 3,980,000 warrants to purchase one Ordinary Share (the Sponsors Warrants) for an aggregate purchase price of $3,980,000. A total of 792,122 of the Founders Shares were subsequently transferred to the Marc Blazer 2007 GRAT, Blazer Investments, LLC and sold to Lawton Fitt, Paul Pressler, Mark Booth, Andrew Lufkin and Domenico De Sole (together with Marc Blazer and John Hunt, the Founders), in private transactions. The Founders Shares are identical to the Ordinary Shares in the Units except that the Founders have each agreed (i) to vote the Founders Shares in accordance with the majority of the Ordinary Shares voted by the Public Shareholders (as defined below) in connection with the vote on any Initial Business Combination and the vote for a proposal to amend the Companys amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to provide for the Companys perpetual existence, (ii) to waive any right to receive a liquidation distribution with respect to the Founders Shares in the event the Company fails to consummate an Initial Business Combination and (iii) not to sell or otherwise transfer any of the Founders Shares until one year after the date of the completion of an Initial Business Combination or earlier if, subsequent to the Companys Initial Business Combination (x) the closing price of the Companys Ordinary Shares equals or exceeds $14.25 per share for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period or (y) the Company consummates a subsequent liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of the Companys shareholders having the right to exchange their Ordinary Shares for cash, securities or other property; provided, however that transfers can be made to permitted transferees who agree in writing to be bound to the transfer restrictions, agree to vote in accordance with the majority of the Ordinary Shares voted by the Public Shareholders in connection with the vote on any Initial Business Combination and the vote for a proposal to amend the Companys amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to provide for the Companys perpetual existence and waive any rights to participate in any liquidation distribution with respect to the Founders Shares if the Company fails to consummate an Initial Business Combination and in the case of the Ordinary Shares subject to redemption, agree to the redemption of such ordinary shares to the extent that the Underwriters over-allotment option is not exercised in full. The Sponsors Warrants are identical to the Warrants contained in the Units except that (i) they are non-redeemable and may be exercisable on a cashless basis at the election of the holder while held by the Sponsors or their respective permitted transferees, (ii) the Sponsors have agreed not to sell or otherwise transfer any of the Sponsors Warrants until 30 days after the date of the completion of an Initial Business Combination, except to permitted transferees who agree in writing to be bound by such transfer restrictions and (iii) the Sponsors Warrants may not be exercised while subject to such transfer restrictions and unless a registration statement relating to the Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants included in the Units is in effect and a related current prospectus is available.
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The Company has entered into a Warrant Agreement, dated as of the date hereof (the Warrant Agreement), with respect to the Warrants and the Sponsors Warrants, with American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent (the Warrant Agent), in substantially the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (as defined below).
John Hunt has entered into a Buyback Agreement (the Buyback Agreement) with the Representative, in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), pursuant to which he will place a limit order for up to $6.0 million of Ordinary Shares, commencing on the later of the Business Day (as defined below) after we file a preliminary proxy statement relating to our Initial Business Combination and 60 days after termination of the restricted period in connection with this offering under Regulation M of the Exchange Act and ending on the business day immediately preceding the record date for the meeting of shareholders at which such Initial Business Combination is to be approved (the Buyback Period). This limit order will require Mr. Hunt to purchase any Ordinary Shares offered for sale (and not purchased by another investor) at or below a price equal to the per share amount held in the Trust Account (as defined herein) as reported in such preliminary proxy statement or any subsequently filed annual report on Form 10-K or quarterly report on Form 10-Q, as applicable, filed prior to such purchase, until the earlier of the expiration of the Buyback Period or until such purchases reach $6.0 million. The purchase of such shares will be made by the Representative or another broker dealer mutually agreed upon by the Representative and Mr. Hunt. It is intended that such purchases will comply with Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act. Mr. Hunt may vote the shares purchased pursuant to the Buyback Agreement in any way he chooses at the shareholders meeting to approve the Companys Initial Business Combination, but will not be permitted to exercise shareholder redemption rights with respect to such shares in the event he votes against an Initial Business Combination that is approved; provided that Mr. Hunt will participate in any liquidation distributions with respect to such shares in the event the Company fails to complete an Initial Business Combination. In addition, Mr. Hunt has agreed that he will not sell or transfer any Ordinary Shares purchased by him pursuant to the Buyback Agreement until 180 days after the Company has completed its Initial Business Combination or earlier if, subsequent to the Initial Business Combination, (i) the closing price of the Companys Ordinary Shares equals or exceeds $14.25 per share for any 20 trading days within any 30 trading day period or (ii) the Company consummates a subsequent liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of the Companys shareholders having the right to exchange their Ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.
The Company will enter into an Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated no later than the Closing Date, with Mellon Investor Services LLC (the Trustee), as trustee, in substantially the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the Trust Agreement), pursuant to which the proceeds from the sale of the Sponsors Warrants and certain proceeds of the offering of the Securities will be deposited and held in a trust account (the Trust Account) for the benefit of the Company, the Underwriters and holders of the Securities.
The Company will enter into a Registration Rights Agreement, dated no later than the Closing Date in substantially the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the
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Registration Rights Agreement), pursuant to which the Company will grant certain registration rights to the Founders and Sponsors and their permitted transferees in respect of the Founders Shares, the Sponsors Warrants, Ordinary Shares issuable upon the exercise of the Sponsors Warrants and ordinary shares purchased pursuant to the Buyback Agreement.
The Company will cause the holders of the Founders Shares, the Sponsors Warrants and each of the Companys directors and executive officers to enter into letter agreements dated no later than the Closing Date, in substantially the form filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement (the Insider Letters), pursuant to which each of such holder and each of the Companys directors and executive officers agrees to certain matters described as being agreed to by them under the Proposed Business section of the Time of Sale Information (as defined below) and the Prospectus.
The Company has caused to be duly executed and delivered a Right of First Review Agreement, dated as of January [________], 2008, with John F. W. Hunt and Marc J. Blazer, in substantially the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the Right of First Review Agreement).
The Founders and the Sponsors have deposited the Founders Shares and the Sponsors Warrants in an escrow account (the Escrow Account) maintained by American Stock Transfer & Trust Company pursuant to an Escrow Agreement, dated as of January ___ 2008 substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the Escrow Agreement).
The Company hereby confirms its agreement with the several Underwriters concerning the purchase and sale of the Units, as follows:
1. Registration Statement. The Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the Securities Act), a Registration Statement (File No. 333-146946) including a Preliminary Prospectus (as defined below), relating to the Securities. Such Registration Statement, as amended at the time it becomes effective, including the information, if any, deemed pursuant to Rule 430A under the Securities Act to be part of the Registration Statement at the time of its effectiveness (Rule 430 Information), is referred to herein as the Registration Statement; and as used herein, the term Preliminary Prospectus means each prospectus included in such Registration Statement (and any amendments thereto) before it becomes effective, any prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(a) under the Securities Act and the prospectus included in the Registration Statement at the time of its effectiveness that omits Rule 430 Information, and the term Prospectus means the prospectus in the form first used (or made available upon request of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act) in connection with confirmation of sales of the Units. If the Company has filed an abbreviated registration statement pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act (the Rule 462 Registration Statement), then any reference herein to the term Registration Statement shall be deemed to include such Rule 462 Registration Statement. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to such terms in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
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At or prior to the time when sales of the Units were first made (the Time of Sale), the Company had prepared a Preliminary Prospectus dated January , 2008 (the Time of Sale Information).
2. Purchase of the Shares by the Underwriters.
(a) The Company agrees to issue and sell the Underwritten Securities to the several Underwriters to cover over-allotments as provided in this Agreement, and each Underwriter, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements set forth herein and subject to the conditions set forth herein, agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company the respective number of Underwritten Securities set forth opposite such Underwriters name in Schedule 1 hereto at a price per Unit of $9.65 subject to adjustment pursuant to Section 2(e) (the Purchase Price).
(b) In addition, the Company agrees to issue and sell the Option Securities to the several Underwriters as provided in this Agreement, and the Underwriters, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements set forth herein and subject to the conditions set forth herein, shall have the option to purchase, severally and not jointly, from the Company the Option Securities at the Purchase Price.
(c) If any Option Securities are to be purchased, the number of Option Securities to be purchased by each Underwriter shall be the number of Option Securities which bears the same ratio to the aggregate number of Option Securities being purchased as the number of Underwritten Securities set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule 1 hereto (or such number increased as set forth in Section 10 hereof) bears to the aggregate number of Underwritten Securities being purchased from the Company by the several Underwriters, subject, however, to such adjustments to eliminate any fractional Securities as the Representative in its sole discretion shall make.
(d) The Underwriters may exercise the option to purchase the Option Securities at any time in whole, or from time to time in part, on or before the thirtieth day following the date of this Agreement, by written notice from the Representative to the Company. Such notice shall set forth the aggregate number of Option Securities as to which the option is being exercised and the date and time when the Option Securities are to be delivered and paid for which may be the same date and time as the Closing Date (as hereinafter defined) but shall not be earlier than the Closing Date nor later than the tenth full Business Day (as hereinafter defined) after the date of such notice (unless such time and date are postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 10 hereof). Any such notice shall be given at least two Business Days prior to the date and time of delivery specified therein.
(e) In addition to the discount from the public offering price of $10.00 per Unit represented by the purchase price set forth in this Section, the Company hereby agrees to pay to the Underwriters a deferred discount of $0.35 per Unit (for both Underwritten Securities and Option Securities) purchased hereunder (the Deferred Discount). The Deferred Discount will be payable from amounts on deposit in the Trust Account as described in the Registration Statement if and when the Company consummates an Initial Business Combination. The
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Underwriters hereby agree that if no Initial Business Combination is consummated within the time period provided in the Trust Agreement and the funds held under the Trust Agreement are distributed to the Public Shareholders, (i) the Underwriters will forfeit any rights or claims to the Deferred Discount and (ii) the Trustee under the Trust Agreement is authorized to distribute the Deferred Discount as described in the Registration Statement. The Company hereby agrees that it will not make any amendments to the Trust Agreement or to Exhibit A to the Trust Agreement in such a manner as to adversely affect the right of the Underwriters to receive the Deferred Discount as contemplated herein and therein without the written consent of the Underwriters.
(f) The Company understands that the Underwriters intend to make a public offering of the Securities as soon after the effectiveness of this Agreement as in the judgment of the Representative is advisable and initially to offer the Securities on the terms set forth in the Prospectus. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriters may offer and sell Securities to or through any affiliate of an Underwriter and that any such affiliate may offer and sell Securities purchased by it to or through any Underwriter.
(g) Payment for the Securities shall be made by wire transfer in immediately available funds as follows: In the case of the Underwritten Securities, $[______________] shall be deposited in the Trust Account pursuant to the terms of the Trust Agreement and $[_____________], shall be paid to the order of the Company to the account specified by the Company to the Representative, at the offices of Davis Polk & Wardwell at 450 Lexington Ave. New York, NY 10017 at 10:00 A.M. New York City time on [_____, 2008], or at such other time or place on the same or such other date, not later than the fifth Business Day thereafter, as the Representative and the Company may agree upon in writing or, in the case of the Option Securities, $[___] per Option Security shall be deposited in the Trust Account pursuant to the Trust Agreement on the date and at the time and place specified by the Representative in the written notice of the Underwriters election to purchase such Option Securities. The time and date of such payment for the Underwritten Securities is referred to herein as the Closing Date and the time and date for such payment for the Option Securities, if other than the Closing Date, are herein referred to as the Additional Closing Date.
Payment for the Securities to be purchased on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, shall be made against delivery to the Representative for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters of the Securities to be purchased on such date in definitive form registered in such names and in such denominations as the Representative shall request in writing not later than two full Business Days prior to the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, with any transfer taxes payable in connection with the sale of the Securities duly paid by the Company. The certificates for the Securities will be made available for inspection and packaging by the Representative at the office of Davis Polk & Wardwell set forth above not later than 1:00 P.M., New York City time, on the Business Day prior to the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.
(h) The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriters are acting solely in the capacity of an arms length contractual counterparty to the Company with respect to the offering of Securities contemplated hereby (including in connection with determining the terms of the offering) and not as a financial advisor or a fiduciary to, or an agent of, the Company or any other
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person. Additionally, neither the Representative nor any other Underwriter is advising the Company or any other person as to any legal, tax, investment, accounting or regulatory matters in any jurisdiction. The Company shall consult with its own advisors concerning such matters and shall be responsible for making its own independent investigation and appraisal of the transactions contemplated hereby, and the Underwriters shall have no responsibility or liability to the Company with respect thereto. Any review by the Underwriters of the Company, the transactions contemplated hereby or other matters relating to such transactions will be performed solely for the benefit of the Underwriters and shall not be on behalf of the Company.
3. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to each Underwriter that:
(a) Effectiveness of Registration Statement. The Company has prepared and filed with the Commission a registration statement (File Number 333-146946) on Form S-1, including a related Preliminary Prospectus, for registration under the Securities Act of the offering and sale of the Securities. Such Registration Statement, including any amendments thereto filed prior to the Execution Time (as defined below), has become effective. The Company may have filed one or more amendments thereto, including a related Preliminary Prospectus, each of which has previously been furnished to the Representative. The Company will file with the Commission a final prospectus in accordance with Rule 424(b). As filed, such final prospectus shall contain all information required by the Securities Act and the rules thereunder and, except to the extent the Representative shall agree in writing to a modification, shall be in all substantive respects in the form furnished to the Representative prior to the Execution Time or, to the extent not completed at the Execution Time, shall contain only such specific additional information and other changes (beyond that contained in the Time of Sale Information) as the Company has advised the Representative, prior to the Execution Time, will be included or made therein.
(b) Effective Date. On the Effective Date (as defined below), the Registration Statement did, and when the Prospectus is first filed in accordance with Rule 424(b) and on the Closing Date and on any Additional Closing Date, the Prospectus (and any supplements thereto) will comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the rules thereunder; on the Effective Date and at the Execution Time, the Registration Statement did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading; and on the date of any filing pursuant to Rule 424(b) and on the Closing Date and any Additional Closing Date, the Prospectus (together with any supplement thereto) will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that the Company makes no representations or warranties as to the information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (or any supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representative specifically for inclusion in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (or any supplement thereto), it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 7 hereof.
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(c) Execution Time. At the Execution Time, the Time of Sale Information did not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that the Company makes no representations or warranties as to the information contained in or omitted from the Time of Sale Information in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representative specifically for inclusion in the Time of Sale Information, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by or on behalf of any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 7 hereof.
(d) Compliance with Exchange Act. The Company has filed with the Commission a Form 8-A (File Number 001) providing for the registration under the Exchange Act of the Securities, the underlying Ordinary Shares and the Warrants. The registration of the Securities, the underlying Ordinary Shares and the Warrants under the Exchange Act has been declared effective by the Commission on or prior to the date of this Agreement.
(e) No Stop Orders, Etc. Neither the Commission nor, to the Companys knowledge, any state regulatory authority has issued any order or threatened to issue any order preventing or suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any part thereof, or has instituted or, to the Companys knowledge, threatened to institute any proceedings with respect to such an order.
(f) Disclosure of Agreements. The agreements and documents described in the Time of Sale Information, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained therein. There is no franchise, contract or other document of a character required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information or the Prospectus, or to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, which is not described or filed as required (and the Time of Sale Information contains in all material respects the same description of the foregoing matters contained in the Prospectus); and the statements in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus under the headings Proposed business, Principal shareholders, Certain relationships and related transactions and Description of securities, insofar as such statements summarize legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings discussed therein, are accurate and fair summaries of such legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings.
(g) Capitalization. The Companys authorized equity capitalization is as set forth in the Time of Sale Information, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. The share capital of the Company conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Time of Sale Information, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(h) Outstanding Securities. The holders of any outstanding securities of the Company have no rights of rescission with respect thereto, and are not subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; and none of such securities were issued in violation of the preemptive rights of any holders of any other security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company. The offers and sales of the Founders Shares and the Sponsors Warrants were at all relevant times based in part on the representations and warranties of the
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purchaser of such securities exempt from registration under the Securities Act. The holders of outstanding securities of the Company are not entitled to preemptive or other rights to subscribe for the Securities; and, except for the Sponsors Warrants, no options, warrants or other rights to purchase, agreements or other obligations to issue, or rights to convert any obligations into or exchange any securities for, shares of share capital of or ownership interests in the Company are outstanding.
(i) Securities Sold Pursuant to this Agreement.
(i) The Securities have been duly authorized and, when executed by the Company and countersigned and issued and delivered against payment therefor by the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
(ii) The Ordinary Shares included in the Units have been duly authorized and, when issued and delivered against payment for the Securities by the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. The holders of such Ordinary Shares are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; such Ordinary Shares are not and will not be subject to any preemptive or other similar contractual rights granted by the Company.
(iii) The Warrants included in the Units have been duly authorized and, when executed, authenticated, issued and delivered in the manner set forth in the Warrant Agreement against payment for the Securities by the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws affecting creditors rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(iv) The Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants included in the Units have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance and, when issued and delivered against payment therefor pursuant to the Warrants and the Warrant Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. The holders of such Ordinary Shares are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; such Ordinary Shares are not and will not be subject to any preemptive or other similar contractual rights granted by the Company.
(j) Registration Rights of Third Parties. Except as set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement, no holders of any securities of the Company or any rights exercisable for or convertible or exchangeable into securities of the Company have the right to require the Company to register any such securities of the Company under the Securities Act or to include any such securities in a registration statement to be filed by the Company.
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(k) Prior Securities Transactions.
(i) No securities of the Company have been sold by the Company or by or on behalf of, or for the benefit of, any person or persons controlling, controlled by or under common control with the Company from its inception through and including the date hereof, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement.
(i) Neither the Company nor any of its affiliates has, prior to the date hereof, made any offer or sale of any securities which are required to be integrated pursuant to the Securities Act or the Regulations with the offer and sale of the Securities pursuant to the Registration Statement.
(l) Founders Shares and Sponsors Warrants. The Founders Shares have been duly authorized and are validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable. The Sponsors Warrants have been duly authorized and, when executed, authenticated, issued and delivered in the manner set forth in the Warrant Purchase Agreement against payment therefor by the Sponsors pursuant to the Warrant Purchase Agreement, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws affecting creditors rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability. The Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Sponsors Warrants have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance and, when issued and delivered against payment therefor pursuant to the Warrant Purchase Agreement, Sponsors Warrants and the Warrant Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. The entire $3,980,000 of the proceeds from the sale of the Sponsors Warrants will be deposited in the Trust Account. Each of the Founders have (1) waived any and all rights and claims he or she or it may have to any proceeds, and any interest thereon, held in the Trust Account in respect of the Founders Shares in the event that an Initial Business Combination is not consummated and the Trust Account is liquidated in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, (2) agreed to vote the Founders Shares in accordance with the majority of the Ordinary Shares voted by Public Shareholders in connection with the vote of any Initial Business Combination and the vote for a proposal to amend the Companys amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to provide for the Companys perpetual existence and (3) agreed not to sell or transfer the Founders Shares for a period of one year from the date the Company completes an Initial Business Combination or earlier if, subsequent to completion of an Initial Business Combination (x) the closing price of the Companys Ordinary Shares equals or exceeds $14.25 per share for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period or (y) the Company consummates a subsequent liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of the Companys shareholders having the right to exchange their Ordinary Shares for cash, securities or other property; provided, however that transfers can be made to permitted transferees who agree in writing to be bound to the transfer restrictions, agree to vote in accordance with the majority of the Ordinary Shares voted by the Public Shareholders in connection with the vote on any Initial Business Combination and the vote for a proposal to amend the Companys amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to provide for the Companys perpetual existence and waive any rights to participate in any liquidation distribution if the Company fails
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to consummate an Initial Business Combination and in the case of the Ordinary Shares subject to redemption, agree to the redemption of such Ordinary Shares to the extent that the underwriters over-allotment option is not exercised in full. Each of the Sponsors has agreed not to sell or transfer the Sponsors Warrants for a period of 30 days after the date the Company completes its Initial Business Combination; provided, however, that transfers can be made to permitted transferees who agree to be bound by the same transfer restrictions. The Founders Shares and the Sponsors Warrants have been deposited in the Escrow Agreement.
(m) Due Incorporation; Power and Authority, Etc. The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the Cayman Islands with full corporate power and authority to own or lease, as the case may be, and to operate its properties and conduct its business as described in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus and is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation and is in good standing under the laws of each jurisdiction which requires such qualification except where the failure to be so qualified and in good standing would not have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise) of the prospects, earnings, business or properties of the Company, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated by the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(n) Validity and Binding Effect of Agreements.
(i) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(ii) The Trust Agreement has been duly authorized, and upon execution and delivery by the Company on or before the Closing Date, will be a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws affecting creditors rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(iii) The Warrant Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws affecting creditors rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(iv) The Share Purchase Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and the Founders and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company and the Founders, enforceable against the Company and the Founders in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws affecting creditors rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
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(v) The Warrant Purchase Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and the Sponsors and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company and the Sponsors, enforceable against the Company and the Sponsors in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws affecting creditors rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability
(vi) The Registration Rights Agreement has been duly authorized, and upon execution and delivery by the Company on or before the Closing Date, will be a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws affecting creditors rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(vii) Each of the Insider Letters has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by Marc Blazer 2007 GRAT, Blazer Investments, LLC, Mark Booth, Domenico De Sole and each of the Companys directors and executive officers respectively and is a valid and binding agreement of each of Marc Blazer 2007 GRAT, Blazer Investments, LLC, Mark Booth, Domenico De Sole and each of the Companys directors and executive officers respectively, enforceable against each of Marc Blazer 2007 GRAT, Blazer Investments, LLC, Mark Booth, Domenico De Sole and each of the Companys directors and executive officers respectively in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws affecting creditors rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(viii) The Right of First Review Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company, John F. W. Hunt and Marc J. Blazer and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company, John F. W. Hunt and Marc J. Blazer, enforceable in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, moratorium, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors rights generally and by equitable principles of general applicability (regardless of whether enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or law).
(o) Consents, Approvals, Etc. No consent, approval, authorization, filing with or order of any court or governmental agency or body is required in connection with the transactions contemplated herein or in the Trust Agreement, the Warrant Agreement, the Share Purchase Agreement, the Warrant Purchase Agreement, the Buyback Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement or the Insider Letters, except such as have been obtained under the Securities Act and such as may be required under the blue sky laws of any jurisdiction in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Securities by the Underwriters in the manner contemplated herein and in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus.
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(p) No Breach or Violation. Neither the issue and sale of the Securities nor the consummation of any other of the transactions herein contemplated nor the fulfillment of the terms hereof or of the Trust Agreement, the Warrant Agreement, the Share Purchase Agreement, the Warrant Purchase Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement or the Insider Letters will conflict with, result in a breach or violation of or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company pursuant to (i) the memorandum and articles of association of the Company, (ii) the terms of any indenture, contract, lease, mortgage, deed of trust, note agreement, loan agreement or other agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which the Company is a party or bound or to which its property is subject or (iii) any statute, law, rule or regulation, judgment, order or decree applicable to the Company of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties.
(q) No Conflicts, Etc. The Company is not in violation or default of (i) any provision of its memorandum and articles of association, (ii) the terms of any indenture, contract, lease, mortgage, deed of trust, note agreement, loan agreement or other agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which it is a party or bound or to which its property is subject or (iii) any statute, law, rule, regulation or judgment, order or decree of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Company.
(r) Investment Company Act. The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, will not be required to register as an investment company as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the Investment Company Act) and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
(s) Financial Statements. The financial statements, including the notes thereto, of the Company included in the Time of Sale Information, the Prospectus and the Registration Statement present fairly the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the Company as of the dates and for the periods indicated, comply as to form with the applicable accounting requirements of the Securities Act and have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved (except as otherwise noted therein). There are no pro forma or as adjusted financial statements that are required to be included in the Time of Sale Information, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus in accordance with Regulation S-X that have not been included as so required.
(t) Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements. The Company is not party to any off-balance sheet transactions, arrangements, obligations (including contingent obligations) or other relationships with unconsolidated entities or other persons that may have a material current or future effect on the Companys financial condition, changes in financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures, capital resources or significant components of revenues or expenses.
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(u) Other Data. The statistical, industry-related and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable and accurate, and such data agree with the sources from which they are derived.
(v) Independent Accountants. Marcum & Kliegman LLP (Marcum & Kliegman) are independent public accountants with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act and the applicable published rules and regulations thereunder and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (including the rules and regulations promulgated by such entity). Marcum & Kliegman has not, during the periods covered by the financial statements included in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, provided to the Company any non-audit services, as such term is used in Section 10A(g) of the Exchange Act.
(w) Disclosure Controls and Procedures. The Company maintains effective disclosure controls and procedures (as defined under Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act).
(x) Sarbanes-Oxley/AMEX Rules.
(i) Solely to the extent that the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission thereunder (the Sarbanes-Oxley Act) have been applicable to the Company, there is and has been no failure on the part of the Company to comply with any provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Company has taken all necessary actions to ensure that it is in compliance with all provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act that are in effect and with which the Company is required to comply and is actively taking steps to ensure that it will be in compliance with other provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act not currently in effect or which will become applicable to the Company.
(ii) There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or any of the Companys officers or directors, in their capacities as such, to comply with (as and when applicable), and immediately following the Effective Date the Company will be in compliance with, Part 8 of the American Stock Exchanges AMEX Company Guide, as amended (the AMEX Company Guide). Further, there is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or any of the Companys officers or directors, in their capacities as such, to comply with (as and when applicable), and immediately following the Effective Date the Company will be in compliance with, all other provisions of the American Stock Exchange corporate governance requirements set forth in the AMEX Company Guide.
(y) Transfer Taxes. There are no transfer taxes or other similar fees or charges under Federal law or the laws of any state, or any political subdivision thereof, required to be paid in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the issuance or sale by the Company of the Securities.
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(z) Ownership. The Company owns or leases all such properties as are necessary to the conduct of its operations as presently conducted.
(aa) Litigation; Government Proceedings. No action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company, or to the Companys knowledge, any Founder or Sponsor, or its or their property is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened that (i) could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the performance of this Agreement or the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated hereby or (ii) could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), prospects, earnings, business or properties of the Company, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
(bb) Tax Returns. The Company (i) has filed all foreign, federal, state and local tax returns that are required to be filed by it or has requested extensions thereof (except in any case in which the failure to so file would not have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), prospects, earnings, business or properties of the Company, taken as a whole, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business) and (ii) has paid all taxes required to be paid by it and any other assessment, fine or penalty levied against it, to the extent that any of the foregoing is due and payable, except for any such assessment, fine or penalty that is currently being contested in good faith or as would not have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), prospects, earnings, business or properties of the Company, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
(cc) Insurance Matters. The Company is insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are prudent and customary in the business in which it is engaged; all policies of insurance and fidelity or surety bonds insuring the Company or its businesses, assets, employees, officers and directors are in full force and effect; the Company is in compliance with the terms of any such policies and instruments in all material respects; and there are no claims by the Company under any such policy or instrument as to which any insurance company is denying liability or defending under a reservation of rights clause.
(dd) Licenses and Permits. The Company possesses all licenses, certificates, permits and other authorizations issued by the appropriate federal, state or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct its business, and the Company has not received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such certificate, authorization or permit which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), prospects, earnings, business or properties of the Company, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
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(ee) Environmental. The Company (1) is in compliance with any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (the Environmental Laws), (2) is not required to obtain any permit, license or other approvals pursuant to applicable Environmental Laws in order to conduct its business and (3) has not received notice of any actual or potential liability under any environmental law. The Company has not been named as a potentially responsible party under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended.
(ff) ERISA. The Company has fulfilled its obligations, if any, under Section 515 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (ERISA); the Company does not maintain nor is it required to contribute to a welfare plan (as defined in Section 3(1) of ERISA) which provides retiree or other post-employment welfare benefits or insurance coverage (other than continuation coverage (as defined in Section 602 of ERISA)); and the Company has not incurred nor could it reasonably be expected to incur any withdrawal liability under Section 4201 of ERISA, any liability under Section 4062, 4063, or 4064 of ERISA, or any other liability under Title IV of ERISA.
(gg) Stabilization. The Company has not taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would constitute or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.
(hh) Certain Regulatory Matters.
(i) Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Neither the Company, any officer of the Company, the Founding Shareholders nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, agent or affiliate of the Company is aware of or has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that would result in a violation by such persons of the FCPA (as defined below), including, without limitation, making use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce corruptly in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay or authorization of the payment of any money, or other property, gift, promise to give, or authorization of the giving of anything of value to any foreign official (as such term is defined in the FCPA) or any foreign political party or official thereof or any candidate for foreign political office, in contravention of the FCPA 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 reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith. FCPA means Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder.
(ii) 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
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Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions, including the Money Laundering Control Act of 1986, as amended, 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 knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(iii) OFAC. Neither the Company, any officer of the Company, the Founding Shareholders nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, agent or affiliate of the Company is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (OFAC); and the Company (either directly or through the Trust Account) 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.
(iv) Bank Secrecy Act; Money Laundering; Patriot Act. Neither the Company nor, any officer or director has violated: (a) the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended, (b) the Money Laundering Laws or (c) the Uniting and Strengthening of America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001, and/or the rules and regulations promulgated under any such law or any successor law.
(ii) D&O Questionnaires. To the Companys knowledge all information contained in the questionnaires (the Questionnaires) completed by each of the Companys officers and directors and provided to the Underwriters as an exhibit to his or her Insider Letter is true and correct and the Company has not become aware of any information which would cause the information disclosed in the Questionnaires completed by the Companys officers or directors to become inaccurate and incorrect.
(jj) Initial Business Combination. Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, prior to the date hereof, none of the Company, its officers and directors nor any affiliates thereof had, and as of the Closing Date, the Company and such officers and directors and their affiliates will not have had: (a) any specific Initial Business Combination under consideration or contemplation or (b) any interactions or discussions, formal or otherwise, with any target business relating to a possible Initial Business Combination.
(kk) FINRA Matters.
(i) Except as described in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, there are no claims, payments, arrangements, contracts, agreements or understandings relating to the payment of a brokerage commission or finders, consulting, origination or similar fee by the Company, or any of the Founders or
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Sponsors with respect to the sale of the Securities hereunder or any other arrangements, agreements or understandings of the Company or, to the knowledge of the Company, any Founder or Sponsor that may affect the Underwriters compensation, as determined by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (the FINRA).
(ii) The Company has not made any direct or indirect payments (in cash, securities or otherwise) to: (i) any person, as a finders fee, consulting fee or otherwise, in consideration of such person raising capital for the Company or introducing to the Company persons who raised or provided capital to the Company; (ii) to any FINRA member; or (iii) to any person or entity that has any direct or indirect affiliation or association with any FINRA member within the twelve months prior to the Effective Date, other than payments to the Underwriters.
(iii) No officer, director or beneficial owner of any class of the Companys securities (whether debt or equity, registered or unregistered, regardless of the time acquired or the source from which derived) (any such individual or entity, a Company Affiliate) is a member, a person associated or affiliated with a member of the FINRA.
(iv) No Company Affiliate is an owner of stock or other securities of any member of the FINRA (other than securities purchased on the open market).
(v) No Company Affiliate has made a subordinated loan to any member of the FINRA.
(vi) No proceeds from the sale of the Securities (excluding underwriting compensation as disclosed in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus) will be paid to any FINRA member, or any persons associated or affiliated with a member of the FINRA.
(vii) The Company has not issued any warrants or other securities or granted any options, directly or indirectly to anyone who is a potential underwriter in the offering or a related person (as defined by NASD rules) of such an underwriter within the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement.
(viii) No person to whom securities of the Company have been privately issued within the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement has any relationship or affiliation or association with any member of the FINRA.
(ix) No FINRA member intending to participate in the offering has a conflict of interest with the Company. For this purpose, a conflict of interest exists when a member of the FINRA and/or its associated persons, parent or
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affiliates in the aggregate beneficially own 10% or more of the Companys outstanding subordinated debt or common equity, or 10% or more of the Companys preferred equity. FINRA member participating in the Offering includes any associated person of a FINRA member that is participating in the Offering, any members of such associated persons immediate family and any affiliate of a FINRA member that is participating in the offering.
(ll) Non-Competition Agreements. None of the Founders or Sponsors nor any director or officer of the Company is subject to a non-competition agreement or non-solicitation agreement with any employer or prior employer which could materially affect its ability to be and act in the capacity of shareholder, officer or director of the Company.
(mm) Subsidiaries. The Company does not own an interest in any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust or other entity.
(nn) Related Party Transactions. No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company or any affiliate of the Company, on the one hand, and any director, officer, shareholder, special advisor, customer or supplier of the Company or any affiliate of the Company, on the other hand, which is required by the Securities Act or the Exchange Act to be described in the Time of Sale Information or the Prospectus which is not described as required. There are no outstanding loans, advances (except normal advances for business expenses in the ordinary course of business) or guarantees of indebtedness by the Company to or for the benefit of any of the officers or directors of the Company or any of their respective family members, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus. The Company has not extended or maintained credit, arranged for the extension of credit or renewed an extension of credit in the form of a personal loan to or for any director or officer of the Company.
(oo) No Influence. The Company has not offered, or caused the Underwriters to offer, the Securities to any person or entity with the intention of unlawfully influencing: (a) a customer or supplier of the Company or any affiliate of the Company to alter the customers or suppliers level or type of business with the Company or such affiliate or (b) a journalist or publication to write or publish favorable information about the Company or any such affiliate.
(pp) Free Writing Prospectus. The Company has not prepared or used an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act.
(qq) Rule 419. Upon delivery and payment for the Underwritten Securities on the Closing Date, the Company will not be subject to Rule 419 under the Securities Act and none of the Companys outstanding securities will be deemed to be a penny stock as defined in Rule 3a51-1 under the Exchange Act.
4. Further Agreements of the Company. The Company covenants and agrees with each Underwriter that:
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(a) Required Filings. The Company will file the final Prospectus with the Commission within the time periods specified by Rule 424(b) and Rule 430A under the Securities Act, and the Company will furnish copies of the Prospectus and the Time of Sale Information (to the extent not previously delivered) to the Underwriters in New York City prior to 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on the Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement in such quantities as the Representative may reasonably request.
(b) Delivery of Copies. The Company will deliver, without charge, (i) to the Representative, two signed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed and each amendment thereto, in each case including all exhibits and consents filed therewith; and (ii) to each Underwriter (A) a conformed copy of the Registration Statement as originally filed and each amendment thereto (without exhibits) and (B) during the Prospectus Delivery Period (as defined below), as many copies of the Prospectus (including all amendments and supplements thereto) and the Time of Sale Information, as the Representative may reasonably request. As used herein, the term Prospectus Delivery Period means such period of time after the first date of the public offering of the Securities as in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters a prospectus relating to the Securities is required by law to be delivered (including any circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act) in connection with sales of the Securities by any Underwriter or dealer.
(c) Amendments or Supplements. Before making, preparing, using, authorizing, approving, referring to or filing any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, the Company will furnish to the Representative and counsel for the Underwriters a copy of the proposed amendment or supplement for review and will not make, prepare, use, authorize, approve, refer to or file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which the Representative reasonably objects.
(d) Notice to the Representative. The Company will advise the Representative promptly, and confirm such advice in writing, (i) when the Registration Statement has become effective; (ii) when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective; (iii) when any supplement to the Prospectus or any amendment to the Prospectus has been filed; (iv) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or the receipt of any comments from the Commission relating to the Registration Statement or any other request by the Commission for any additional information; (v) of the issuance by the Commission of any order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any notice objecting to its use or preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act; (vi) of the occurrence of any event within the Prospectus Delivery Period as a result of which the Prospectus or the Time of Sale Information as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Prospectus or the Time of Sale Information is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading; and (vii) of the receipt by the Company of any notice with respect to any suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offer and sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose; and the Company will use its best efforts to prevent the
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issuance of any such order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or suspending any such qualification of the Securities and, if any such order is issued, will obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal including, if necessary by filing an amendment to the Registration Statement or a new registration statement and using its best efforts to have such amendment or new registration statement declared effective as soon as practicable.
(e) Ongoing Compliance. (1) If during the Prospectus Delivery Period (i) any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading or (ii) it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with law, the Company will immediately notify the Underwriters thereof and forthwith prepare and, subject to paragraph (c) above, file with the Commission and furnish to the Underwriters and to such dealers as the Representative may designate, such amendments or supplements to the Prospectus as may be necessary so that the statements in the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Prospectus will comply with law and (2) if at any time prior to the Closing Date (i) any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which the Time of Sale Information as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances, not misleading or (ii) it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Information to comply with law, the Company will immediately notify the Underwriters thereof and forthwith prepare and, subject to paragraph (c) above, file with the Commission (to the extent required) and furnish to the Underwriters and to such dealers as the Representative may designate, such amendments or supplements to the Time of Sale Information as may be necessary so that the statements in the Time of Sale Information as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances, be misleading or so that the Time of Sale Information will comply with law.
(f) Blue Sky Compliance. The Company, if necessary, will qualify the Securities for offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Representative shall reasonably request and will continue such qualifications in effect so long as required for distribution of the Ordinary Shares; provided that the Company shall not be required to (i) qualify as a foreign corporation or other entity or as a dealer in securities in any such jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to so qualify, (ii) file any general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction or (iii) subject itself to taxation in any such jurisdiction if it is not otherwise so subject.
(g) Earning Statement. As soon as practicable, the Company will make generally available to its security holders and to the Representative an earning statement or statements of the Company and its subsidiaries which will satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158.
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(h) Clear Market. The Company will not, without the prior written consent of the Representative, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of (or enter into any transaction which is designed to, or might reasonably be expected to, result in the disposition (whether by actual disposition or effective economic disposition due to cash settlement or otherwise) by the Company or any affiliate of the Company or any person in privity with the Company or any affiliate of the Company), directly or indirectly, including the filing (or participation in the filing) of a registration statement with the Commission in respect of, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act, any other Units (other than the Underwritten Securities in accordance with the terms of this Agreement), Ordinary Shares, Warrants or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, Ordinary Shares or publicly announce an intention to effect any such transaction, during the period commencing on the date hereof and ending 180 days after the date of this Agreement; provided, however, that if (1) during the last 17 days of the restricted period the Company issues an earnings release or material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs or (2) prior to the expiration of the restricted period the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 16 day period beginning on the last day of the restricted period, then the foregoing restrictions shall continue to apply until the expiration of the 18 day period beginning on the issuance of the earnings release or the occurrence of the material news or material event; provided further, however, that (x) the Company may issue and sell the Sponsors Warrants, (y) pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement the Company may register with the Commission the resale, in the case of the Founders, the Founders Shares, in the case of the Sponsors, the Sponsors Warrants, the Ordinary Shares underlying the Sponsors Warrants and Ordinary Shares purchased pursuant to the Buyback Agreement, at any time after the date on which the Founders Shares, the Sponsors Warrants and the Ordinary Shares purchased pursuant to the Buyback Agreement are no longer subject to the transfer restrictions set forth in the corresponding Purchase Agreements, and (z) the Company may issue and sell the Option Securities on exercise of the option provided for in Section 2(b) hereof.
(i) Use of Proceeds. The Company will apply the net proceeds received by it from the offering and the sale of the Sponsors Warrants in a manner consistent with the applications described under the heading Use of Proceeds in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus.
(j) No Stabilization. The Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Securities.
(k) Exchange Listing. The Company will use its best efforts to effect and maintain the listing of the Units, Ordinary Shares and Warrants on the American Stock Exchange, or, following the Initial Business Combination, another national securities exchange.
(l) Reports. For a period of five years from the Effective Date or until such earlier time that the Company is required to be liquidated, the Company will furnish to the Representative such copies of financial statements and other periodic and special reports as the Company from time to time furnishes generally to holders of any class of its Securities and such additional
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documents and information with respect to the Company as the Representative may from time to time reasonably request. Any financial statements and reports filed on the Commissions EDGAR website will be considered furnished for purposes of this section.
(m) Filings. The Company will file with the Commission such reports as may be required by Rule 463 under the Securities Act.
(n) No Use of Free Writing Prospectus. The Company agrees that it will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or that would otherwise constitute a free writing prospectus (as defined in Rule 405) required to be filed by the Company with the Commission or retained by the Company under Rule 433.
(o) Maintenance of Registration. For a period of at least four years from the Effective Date, or until such earlier time upon which the Company is required to be liquidated, the Company will use its best efforts to maintain the registration of the Units, Ordinary Shares and Warrants under the provisions of the Exchange Act. The Company will not deregister the Units, Ordinary Shares or Warrants under the Exchange Act (except in connection with a going private transaction after the completion of the Initial Business Combination) without the prior written consent of the Representative.
(p) Form 8-K. The Company shall, on the date hereof, retain its registered independent public accountants to audit the financial statements of the Company as of the Closing Date (the Audited Financial Statements) reflecting the receipt by the Company of the proceeds of the offering and the sale of the Founders Shares and the Sponsors Warrants. As soon as the Audited Financial Statements become available, the Company shall immediately file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Commission, which report shall contain the Companys Audited Financial Statements. Additionally, upon the Companys receipt of the proceeds from the exercise of all or any portion of the over-allotment option, the Company shall promptly file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Commission, which report shall disclose the Companys sale of the Option Securities and its receipt of the proceeds therefrom.
(q) Review of Financial Statements. For a period of at least three years from the Effective Date or until such earlier time that the Company is required to be liquidated, the Company, at its expense, shall cause its regularly engaged independent registered public accounting firm to review (but not audit) the Companys financial statements for each of the first three fiscal quarters prior to the announcement of quarterly financial information, the filing of the Companys Form 10-Q quarterly report and the mailing, if any, of quarterly financial information to shareholders.
(r) Affiliate Transactions.
(i) Except as set forth in this subsection (i), the Company shall not pay the Sponsors, Founders or any of the Companys directors or officers or any of their affiliates any fees or compensation of any kind (including finders and consulting fees) for services rendered to the Company prior to, or in connection with, the consummation of the Initial Business Combination; provided that (x) the
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Companys officers and directors shall be entitled to reimbursement from the Company for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with seeking and consummating an Initial Business Combination from the amounts not held in the Trust Account and interest income of up to $2,850,000 which may be released to the Company from the Trust Account and (y) repay its obligations under those certain Promissory Notes of the Company to the order of John Hunt and Marc Blazer in the aggregate amount of $175,000.
(ii) The Company shall not consummate an Initial Business Combination with any entity affiliated with any of its Founders, directors, officers or Sponsors.
(s) Amendment to the Trust Agreement, Insider Letters, Purchase Agreements and Right of First Review Agreement. The Company agrees and warrants that the Trust Agreement, Insider Letters, Purchase Agreements and Right of First Review Agreement shall not be amended, modified or otherwise changed without the prior written consent of the Representative.
(t) Notice to the FINRA
(i) For a period of 90 days following the Effective Date, in the event any person or entity (regardless of any FINRA affiliation or association) is engaged to assist the Company in its search for a merger candidate or to provide any other merger and acquisition services, the Company will provide the following to the FINRA and the Representative prior to the consummation of an Initial Business Combination: (i) complete details of all services and copies of agreements governing such services; and (ii) justification as to why the person or entity providing the merger and acquisition services should not be considered an underwriter and related person with respect to the Companys initial public offering, as such term is defined in Rule 2710 of the NASDs Conduct Rules. The Company also agrees that proper disclosure of such arrangement or potential arrangement will be made in the proxy statement, which the Company will file for purposes of soliciting shareholder approval for an Initial Business Combination.
(ii) The Company shall advise the FINRA if it is aware that any 5% or greater shareholder of the Company becomes an affiliate or associated person of a FINRA member participating in the distribution of the Companys Securities.
(u) Investment Company. The Company shall cause the proceeds to be held in the Trust Account to be invested only in United States government securities, within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 with a maturity of 180 days less or in one or more money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invests solely in government securities, selected by the Company, which invest principally in either short-term securities issued or guaranteed by the United States having a rating in the highest investment category granted thereby by a recognized credit rating agency at the time of the acquisition or tax exempt municipal bonds issued by governmental entities located within the United States, as set forth in the Trust Agreement and
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disclosed in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus. The Company will otherwise conduct its business in a manner so that it will not become subject to the Investment Company Act. Furthermore, once the Company consummates the Initial Business Combination, it will be engaged in a business other than that of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading securities.
(v) Operating Expenses. During the period prior to the Companys Initial Business Combination, the Company may instruct the Trustee under the Trust Agreement to release to the Company from the Trust Account (1) interest income earned on the Trust Account balance to pay any tax obligations on such interest and (2) interest income earned of up to $2,850,000 on the amounts held in the Trust Account to fund the Companys working capital requirements. After an aggregate of $2,850,000 is released to the Company, any interest income earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account (net of taxes payable) will remain in the Trust Account until the earlier of the consummation of the Companys Initial Business Combination or its liquidation.
(w) Reservation of Ordinary Shares. The Company will reserve and keep available that maximum number of its authorized but unissued securities which are issuable upon exercise of any of the Sponsors Warrants or the Warrants outstanding from time to time.
(x) Issuance of Ordinary Shares. Prior to the consummation of an Initial Business Combination or the liquidation of the Trust, the Company shall not issue any Ordinary Shares, Warrants or any options or other securities convertible into Ordinary Shares, or any shares of preferred stock which participate in any manner in the Trust Account or which vote as a class with the Ordinary Shares on an Initial Business Combination.
(y) Audit Committee Review of Expenses. Prior to the consummation of an Initial Business Combination or the liquidation of the Trust, the Company shall cause its audit committee to review and approve all payments made to its officers, directors or the Companys or their affiliates and any expense reimbursements payable to members of the Companys audit committee or their affiliates will be reviewed and approved by the Companys board of directors, with any interested directors abstaining from such review and approval.
(z) Rule 419. The Company agrees that it will use its commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the Company from becoming subject to Rule 419 under the Securities Act prior to the consummation of an Initial Business Combination, including, but not limited to, using its best efforts to prevent any of the Companys outstanding securities from being deemed to be a penny stock as defined in Rule 3a-51-1 under the Exchange Act during such period.
(aa) Internal Controls. The Company will maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that: (1) transactions are executed in accordance with managements general or specific authorization, (2) transactions are recorded as necessary in order to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets, (3) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with managements general or specific authorization and (4) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.
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(bb) Sarbanes-Oxley/AMEX. As soon as it is legally required to do so, the Company and any of the Companys directors or officers, in their capacities as such, shall take all actions necessary to (1) comply with any provision of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith (the Sarbanes Oxley Act), including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications and (2) comply with the requirements of the American Stock Exchanges AMEX Company Guide.
(cc) Memorandum and Articles of Association; Warrant Agreement. The Company shall not take any action or omit to take any action that would cause the Company to be in breach or violation of its Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, as amended. Prior to the consummation of an Initial Business Combination or until the distribution of the Trust Account, the Company will not amend its Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association or the Warrant Agreement without the prior written consent of the Representative.
(dd) Initial Business Combination.
(i) Trust Account Waiver Acknowledgment. The Company hereby agrees that prior to commencing its due diligence investigation of any operating business which the Company seeks to acquire for its Initial Business Combination (a Target Business) or obtaining the services of any vendor, it will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Target Business or vendor to execute a waiver letter in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A. If a Target Business or other third party were to refuse to enter into such a waiver, the Company hereby agrees to enter into discussions with such Target Business or engage such other third party only if the Company determines that the Company could not obtain, on a reasonable basis, substantially similar services or opportunities from another entity willing to enter into such a waiver.
(ii) Initial Business Combination/Distribution Procedure. Prior to the consummation of the Initial Business Combination, the Company will submit such transaction to the Companys shareholders for their approval (an Initial Business Combination Vote) even if the nature of the acquisition is such as would not ordinarily require shareholder approval under applicable law; and in the event that the Company does not effect an Initial Business Combination within 24 months from the consummation of this offering, the Company will go through voluntary liquidation in the same way as if the Companys shareholders had formally voted to approve the Companys voluntary winding up under the Companies Law (2007 Revision) of the Cayman Islands and the Company will be liquidated and will distribute to all holders of the Ordinary Shares issued as part of the Units in this offering (the IPO Shares), an aggregate sum equal to the Companys Liquidation Value. The Companys Liquidation Value shall mean the greater of (i) the Companys book value, as determined by the Company and approved by the independent registered public accounting firm then engaged by the Company, or (ii) the amount of funds in the Trust Account (including (a) the proceeds held in the Trust Account from this Offering and the sale of the
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Sponsors Warrants, (b) the amount held in the Trust Account representing the Deferred Discount and (c) any interest income earned on the funds held in the Trust Account, net of taxes payable, that are not released to the Company to cover its operating expenses in accordance with Section 4(y)). Only holders of IPO Shares shall be entitled to receive liquidating distributions and the Company shall pay no liquidating distributions with respect to any shares of share capital of the Company or Warrants. With respect to the Initial Business Combination Vote and the vote for a proposal to amend the Companys amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to provide for the Companys perpetual existence, the Company shall cause the Founders to vote all their Founders Shares with a majority of the Ordinary Shares voted by the Public Shareholders. At the time the Company seeks approval of the Initial Business Combination, the Company will offer to each holder of IPO Shares (the Public Shareholders) the right to redeem their Ordinary Shares at a per share redemption price (the Redemption Price), calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of such proposed Initial Business Combination, equal to (A) the amount in the Trust Account, inclusive of (x) the proceeds from this Offering and the sale of the Sponsors Warrants, held in trust, (y) the amount held in the Trust Account representing the Deferred Discount and (z) any interest income earned on the funds held in the Trust Account, net of taxes payable, that are not released to the Company to cover its operating expenses in accordance with Section 5(t), divided by (B) the total number of IPO Shares. If a majority of the shares voted by the holders of IPO Shares are voted to approve the Initial Business Combination, and if holders of less than 30% of the IPO Shares (minus one share) vote against such approval of the Initial Business Combination and elect to redeem their IPO Shares, the Company will proceed with such Initial Business Combination. If the Company proceeds with the Initial Business Combination, it will redeem shares, based upon the Redemption Price, from those holders of IPO Shares who affirmatively requested such redemption and who voted against the Initial Business Combination. Only Public Shareholders shall be entitled to receive distributions from the Trust Account in connection with the approval of an Initial Business Combination, and the Company shall pay no distributions with respect to any other holders of shares of share capital of the Company. If holders of 30% (minus one share) or more of the IPO Shares vote against approval of a potential Initial Business Combination and elect to redeem their IPO Shares, the Company will not proceed with such Initial Business Combination and will not redeem such shares.
(iii) Value of Target Business. The Company agrees that the initial Target Business that it acquires in an Initial Business Combination must have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the sum of the balance in the Trust Account excluding the Deferred Discount, including any of which relates to the Option Securities, at the time of such acquisition. The fair market value of such Target Business will be determined by the board of directors of the Company based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community,
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such as actual and potential sales, earnings and cash flow and book value. If the board of directors of the Company is not able to independently determine that the Target Business has a fair market value of at least 80% of the sum of the balance in the Trust Account (excluding the Deferred Discount, including any of which relates to the Option Securities) at the time of such Initial Business Combination, the Company will obtain an opinion from an unaffiliated, independent investment banking firm which is a member of the FINRA with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. The Company is not required to obtain an opinion from an investment banking firm as to the fair market value of the Target Business if the Companys board of directors independently determines that the Target Business does have sufficient fair market value.
(iv) Initial Business Combination Announcement. Within five Business Days following the consummation by the Company of an Initial Business Combination, the Company shall cause an announcement (the Initial Business Combination Announcement) to be placed, at its cost, in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and a third national publication to be selected by the Representative announcing the consummation of the Initial Business Combination and indicating that the Underwriters were the underwriters in the offering. The Company shall supply the Representative with a draft of the Initial Business Combination Announcement and provide the Representative with a reasonable opportunity to comment thereon in advance. The Company will not place the Initial Business Combination Announcement without the final approval of the Representative, which approval will not be unreasonably withheld.
(ee) Deferred Compensation. Upon the consummation of an Initial Business Combination, the Company will pay to the Representative, on behalf of the Underwriters, the Deferred Discount. Payment of the Deferred Discount will be made out of the proceeds of this offering held in the Trust Account. The Underwriters shall have no claim to payment of any interest earned on the portion of the proceeds held in the Trust Account representing the Deferred Discount. If the Company fails to consummate its Initial Business Combination within the required time period set forth in the Registration Statement, the Deferred Discount will not be paid to the Representative and will, instead, be included in the liquidation distribution of the proceeds held in the Trust Account made to the holders of the IPO Shares. In connection with any such liquidation distribution, the Underwriters will forfeit any rights or claims to the Deferred Discount, including any accrued interest thereon.
5. Certain Agreements of the Underwriters. Each Underwriter hereby represents and agrees that
(a) It has not and will not use, authorize use of, refer to, or participate in the planning for use of, any free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act (which term includes use of any written information furnished to the Commission by the Company and not incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and any press release issued by the Company).
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(b) It is not subject to any pending proceeding under Section 8A of the Securities Act with respect to the offering (and will promptly notify the Company if any such proceeding against it is initiated during the Prospectus Delivery Period).
6. Conditions of Underwriterss Obligations. The obligation of each Underwriter to purchase the Underwritten Securities on the Closing Date or the Option Securities on the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be as provided herein is subject to the performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions:
(a) Registration Compliance; No Stop Order. No order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any notice objecting to its use shall be in effect, and no proceeding for such purpose shall be pending before or threatened by the Commission; the Prospectus shall have been timely filed with the Commission under the Securities Act and in accordance with Section 4(a) hereof; and all requests by the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of the Representative.
(b) Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Company contained herein shall be true and correct on the date hereof and on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be; and the statements of the Company and its officers made in any certificates delivered pursuant to this Agreement shall be true and correct on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.
(c) Comfort Letters. On the date of this Agreement and on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, Marcum & Kliegman shall have furnished to the Representative, at the request of the Company, letters, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof and addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representative, containing statements and information of the type customarily included in accountants comfort letters to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus; provided, that the letter delivered on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, shall use a cut-off date no more than three Business Days prior to such Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.
(d) No Material Adverse Change. Subsequent to the Execution Time or, if earlier, the dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement (exclusive of any amendment thereof), the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto), there shall not have been (i) any change or decrease specified in the letter or letters referred to in paragraph (e) of this Section 6 or (ii) any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, business or properties of the Company, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto) the effect of which, in any case referred to in clause (i) or (ii) above, is, in the sole judgment of the Representative, so material and adverse as to make it impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the offering or delivery of the Securities as
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contemplated by the Registration Statement (exclusive of any amendment thereof), the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
(e) Secretarys Certificate. The Company shall have furnished to the Representative a certificate signed by the Secretary or Assistant Secretary of the Company, dated the Closing Date, certifying (i) that the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of the Company are true and complete, have not been modified and are in full force and effect, (ii) that the resolutions relating to the public offering contemplated by this Agreement are in full force and effect and have not been modified, (iii) all correspondence between the Company or its counsel and the Commission and (iv) as to the incumbency of the officers of the Company. The documents referred to in such certificate shall be attached to such certificate.
(f) Officers Certificate. The Representative shall have received on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, a certificate of an executive officer of the Company who has specific knowledge of the Companys financial matters and is satisfactory to the Representative (i) confirming that such officer has carefully reviewed the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information, the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto and, to the best knowledge of such officer, the representations set forth in Sections 3(a), 3(b) and 3(c) hereof are true and correct, (ii) confirming that the other representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct and that the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to the Closing Date and (iii) to the effect set forth in paragraphs (a), (c) and (e) above.
(g) Opinions of Counsel for the Company. Each of, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, counsel for the Company, and Maples & Calder, Cayman counsel to the Company, shall have furnished to the Representative, at the request of the Company, their written opinion, dated the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, and addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representative, to the effect set forth in Annex A and Annex B hereto.
(h) Opinion of Counsel for the Underwriters. The Representative shall have received on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, an opinion of Davis Polk & Wardwell, counsel for the Underwriters, with respect to the issuance and sale of the Securities, the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus (together with any supplement thereto) and other matters as the Representative may reasonably require and such counsel shall have received such documents and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters.
(i) No Legal Impediment to Issuance. No action shall have been taken and no statute, rule, regulation or order shall have been enacted, adopted or issued by any federal, state or foreign governmental or regulatory authority that would, as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, prevent the issuance or sale of the Ordinary Shares; and no injunction or order of any federal, state or foreign court shall have been issued that would, as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, prevent the issuance or sale of the Ordinary Shares.
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(j) Good Standing. The Representative shall have received on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, satisfactory evidence of the good standing of the Company in its respective jurisdiction of organization and its good standing as a foreign entity in such other jurisdictions as the Representative may reasonably request, in each case in writing or any standard form of telecommunication from the appropriate governmental authorities of such jurisdictions.
(k) Lock-up Agreements. The lock-up agreements, each substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto, between you and certain shareholders, officers and directors of the Company relating to sales and certain other dispositions of Units, Ordinary Shares, Warrants or certain other securities, delivered to you on or before the date hereof, shall be full force and effect on the Closing Date or Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.
(l) FINRA. The FINRA shall not have raised any objection with respect to the fairness or reasonableness of the underwriting or other arrangements of the transactions contemplated hereby.
(m) Insider Letters. On the Closing Date, the Company shall have furnished to the Representative Insider Letters, substantially in the form filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement (as the same may be amended or supplemented from time to time) from each of Marc Blazer 2007 GRAT, Blazer Investments, LLC, Mark Booth, Domenico De Sole and any officer or director of the Company as well as lock up agreements from each officer and director substantially in the form of Exhibit C-1 hereto.
(n) Listing on the American Stock Exchange. The Securities shall be duly listed, subject to notice of issuance, on the American Stock Exchange, satisfactory evidence of which shall have been provided to the Representative.
(o) Delivery of Agreements. On the Effective Date, the Company shall have delivered to the Representative executed copies of the Trust Agreement, the Warrant Agreement, the Purchase Agreements, the Buyback Agreements, the Escrow Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement.
(p) No Brokers. At the Execution Time, the Company shall have requested and caused each of the Founders and Sponsors and the Companys directors and officers to have executed and furnished to the Representative a certificate, dated the Closing Date and addressed to the Representative, to the effect that, except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, there are no claims, payments, arrangements, contracts, agreements or understandings relating to the payment of a brokerage commission or finders, consulting, origination or similar fee by any of the Founders or Sponsors or the Companys directors or officers with respect to the sale of the Securities hereunder or any other arrangements, agreements or understandings by any Founder or Sponsor or Company director or officer that may affect the Underwriters compensation, as determined by the FINRA.
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(q) Further Information. Prior to the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, the Company shall have furnished to the Representative such further information, certificates and documents as the Representative may reasonably request.
(r) Trust Account. On the Closing Date, the Company shall have furnished to the Representative one or more certificates signed by an authorized officer of the Trustee to the effect of certifying that (i) the proceeds of $3,980,000 from the sale of the Sponsors Warrants and (ii) the net proceeds of $___________ from the sale of the Securities, shall have been deposited in the Trust Account.
(s) Escrow Account. The Sponsors and the Founders shall have deposited the Founders Shares and the Sponsors Warrants in the Escrow Account.
All opinions, letters, certificates and evidence mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall be deemed to be in compliance with the provisions hereof only if they are in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters.
7. Indemnification and Contribution.
(a) Indemnification of the Underwriters. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its affiliates, directors and officers and each person, if any, who controls such Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, legal fees and other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with any suit, action or proceeding or any claim asserted, as such fees and expenses are incurred), joint or several, that arise out of, or are based upon, (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, not misleading, (ii) or any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or any Time of Sale Information, or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, in each case except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representative expressly for use therein.
(b) Indemnification of the Company. Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, its officers who signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act to the same extent as the indemnity set forth in paragraph (a) above, but only with respect to any losses, claims, damages or liabilities that arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through
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the Representative expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or any Time of Sale Information, it being understood and agreed upon that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the following information in the Prospectus furnished on behalf of each Underwriter: the concession and reallowance figures appearing in the third paragraph under the caption Underwriting, the information contained in the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth paragraphs under the caption Underwriting.
(c) Notice and Procedures. If any suit, action, proceeding (including any governmental or regulatory investigation), claim or demand shall be brought or asserted against any person in respect of which indemnification may be sought pursuant to either paragraph (a) or (b) above, such person (the Indemnified Person) shall promptly notify the person against whom such indemnification may be sought (the Indemnifying Person) in writing; provided that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Person shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have under this Section 7 except to the extent that it has been materially prejudiced (through the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses) by such failure; and provided, further, that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Person shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have to an Indemnified Person otherwise than under this Section 7. If any such proceeding shall be brought or asserted against an Indemnified Person and it shall have notified the Indemnifying Person thereof, the Indemnifying Person shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person (who shall not, without the consent of the Indemnified Person, be counsel to the Indemnifying Person) to represent the Indemnified Person and any others entitled to indemnification pursuant to this Section 7 that the Indemnifying Party may designate in such proceeding and shall pay the fees and expenses of such proceeding and shall pay the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel related to such proceeding, as incurred. In any such proceeding, any Indemnified Person shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the reasonable fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Indemnified Person unless (i) the Indemnifying Person and the Indemnified Person shall have mutually agreed to the contrary or (ii) the Indemnifying Person has failed within a reasonable time to retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person; (iii) the Indemnified Person shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal defenses available to it that are different from or in addition to those available to the Indemnifying Person; or (iv) the named parties in any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the Indemnifying Person and the Indemnified Person and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interest between them. It is understood and agreed that the Indemnifying Person shall not, in connection with any proceeding or related proceeding in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the reasonable fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all Indemnified Persons, and that all such fees and expenses shall be paid or reimbursed as they are incurred. Any such separate firm for any Underwriter, its affiliates, directors and officers and any control persons of such Underwriter shall be designated in writing by J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. and any such separate firm for the Company, its directors, its officers who signed the Registration Statement and any control persons of the Company shall be designated in writing by the Company. The Indemnifying Person shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the Indemnifying Person agrees to indemnify each Indemnified Person
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from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an Indemnified Person shall have requested that an Indemnifying Person reimburse the Indemnified Person for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by this paragraph, the Indemnifying Person shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by the Indemnifying Person of such request and (ii) the Indemnifying Person shall not have reimbursed the Indemnified Person in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No Indemnifying Person shall, without the written consent of the Indemnified Person, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any Indemnified Person is or could have been a party and indemnification could have been sought hereunder by such Indemnified Person, unless such settlement (x) includes an unconditional release of such Indemnified Person, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such Indemnified Person, from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding and (y) does not include any statement as to or any admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any Indemnified Person.
(d) Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in paragraphs (a) and (b) above is unavailable to an Indemnified Person or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then each Indemnifying Person under such paragraph, in lieu of indemnifying such Indemnified Person thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such Indemnified Person as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (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 from the offering of the Ordinary Shares 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) but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds (before deducting expenses) received by the Company from the sale of the Ordinary Shares and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters in connection therewith, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate offering price of the Ordinary Shares. The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.
(e) Limitation on Liability. 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 that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in paragraph (d) above. The amount paid or payable by an Indemnified Person as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in paragraph (d) above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses incurred by such
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Indemnified Person in connection with any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, in no event shall an Underwriter be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by such Underwriter with respect to the offering of the Securities exceeds the amount of any damages that such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 7 are several in proportion to their respective purchase obligations hereunder and not joint.
(f) Non-Exclusive Remedies. The remedies provided for in this Section are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any Indemnified Person at law or in equity.
8. Effectiveness of Agreement. This Agreement shall become effective upon the execution and delivery hereof by the parties hereto.
9. Termination. This Agreement may be terminated in the absolute discretion of the Representative, by notice to the Company, if after the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date or, in the case of the Option Securities, prior to the Additional Closing Date (i) trading generally shall have been suspended or materially limited on or by any of the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., the Chicago Board Options Exchange, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange or the Chicago Board of Trade; (ii) trading of any securities issued or guaranteed by the Company shall have been suspended on any exchange or in any over-the-counter market; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities shall have been declared by federal or New York State authorities; (iv) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities or any change in financial markets or any calamity or crisis, either within or outside the United States, that, in the judgment of the Representative, is material and adverse and makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale or delivery of the Securities on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, on the terms and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus; or (v) the representation in Section 3(b) is incorrect in any respect.
10. Defaulting Underwriter.
(a) If, on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, any Underwriter defaults on its obligation to purchase the Securities that it has agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, the non-defaulting Underwriters may in their discretion arrange for the purchase of such Securities by other persons satisfactory to the Company on the terms contained in this Agreement. If, within 36 hours after any such default by any Underwriter, the non-defaulting Underwriters do not arrange for the purchase of such Securities, then the Company shall be entitled to a further period of 36 hours within which to procure other persons satisfactory to the non-defaulting Underwriters to purchase such Securities on such terms. If other persons become obligated or agree to purchase the Securities of a defaulting Underwriter, either the
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non-defaulting Underwriters or the Company may postpone the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, for up to five full business days in order to effect any changes that in the opinion of counsel for the Company or counsel for the Underwriters may be necessary in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or in any other document or arrangement, and the Company agrees to promptly prepare any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus that effects any such changes. As used in this Agreement, the term Underwriter includes, for all purposes of this Agreement unless the context otherwise requires, any person not listed in Schedule 1 hereto that, pursuant to this Section 10, purchases Securities that a defaulting Underwriter agreed but failed to purchase.
(b) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the non-defaulting Underwriters and the Company as provided in paragraph (a) above, the aggregate number of Securities that remain unpurchased on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be does not exceed one-eleventh of the aggregate number of Securities to be purchased on such date, then the Company shall have the right to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the number of Securities that such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder on such date plus such Underwriters pro rata share (based on the number of Securities that such Underwriter agreed to purchase on such date) of the Securities of such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters for which such arrangements have not been made.
(c) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the non-defaulting Underwriters and the Company as provided in paragraph (a) above, the aggregate number of Securities that remain unpurchased on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, exceeds one-eleventh of the aggregate amount of Securities to be purchased on such date, or if the Company shall not exercise the right described in paragraph (b) above, then this Agreement or, with respect to any Additional Closing Date, the obligation of the Underwriters to purchase Securities on the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, shall terminate without liability on the part of the non-defaulting Underwriters. Any termination of this Agreement pursuant to this Section 10 shall be without liability on the part of the Company, except that the Company will continue to be liable for the payment of expenses as set forth in Section 11 hereof and except that the provisions of Section 7 hereof shall not terminate and shall remain in effect.
(d) Nothing contained herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter of any liability it may have to the Company or any non-defaulting Underwriter for damages caused by its default.
11. Payment of Expenses.
(a) Whether or not the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, the Company will pay or cause to be paid all costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder, including without limitation, (i) the costs incident to the authorization, issuance, sale, preparation and delivery of the Securities and any taxes payable in that connection; (ii) the costs incident to the preparation, printing and filing under the Securities Act of the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus (including all exhibits, amendments and supplements thereto)
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and the distribution thereof; (iii) the costs of reproducing and distributing each of the Transaction Documents; (iv) the fees and expenses of the Companys counsels and independent accountants; (v) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the registration or qualification and determination of eligibility for investment of the Securities under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Representative may designate and the preparation, printing and distribution of a Blue Sky Memorandum (including the related fees and expenses of counsel for the Underwriters); (vi) the cost of preparing Unit, Ordinary Share and Warrant certificates; (vii) the costs and charges of any transfer agent and any registrar; (viii) all expenses and application fees incurred in connection with any filing with, and clearance of the offering by, the FINRA (including the related fees and expenses of counsel for the Underwriters); (ix) all expenses incurred by the Company in connection with any road show presentation to potential investors; and (x) all expenses and application fees related to the listing of the Units, Ordinary Shares and Warrants on the American Stock Exchange.
(b) If (i) this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 9, (ii) the Company for any reason fails to tender the Securities for delivery to the Underwriters or (iii) the Underwriters decline to purchase the Securities for any reason permitted under this Agreement, the Company agrees to reimburse the Underwriters for all out-of-pocket costs and expenses (including the fees and expenses of their counsel) reasonably incurred by the Underwriters in connection with this Agreement and the offering contemplated hereby.
12. Persons Entitled to Benefit of Agreement. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the officers and directors and any controlling persons referred to in Section 7 herein, and the affiliates of each Underwriter referred to in Section 7. Nothing in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any other person any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision contained herein. No purchaser of Securities from any Underwriter shall be deemed to be a successor merely by reason of such purchase.
13. Survival. The respective indemnities, rights of contribution, representations, warranties and agreements of the Company and the Underwriters contained in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of the Company or the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement or any certificate delivered pursuant hereto shall survive the delivery of and payment for the Securities and shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any termination of this Agreement or any investigation made by or on behalf of the Company or the Underwriters.
14. Certain Defined Terms. For purposes of this Agreement, (a) except where otherwise expressly provided, the term affiliate has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act; (b) the term Business Day means any day other than a day on which banks are permitted or required to be closed in New York City; and (d) the term subsidiary has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act; and (d) the term significant subsidiary has the meaning set forth in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X under the Exchange Act; and (e) the term Execution Time means the date and time that this Agreement is executed and delivered by the parties hereto.
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15. Miscellaneous.
(a) Authority of the Representative. Any action by the Underwriters hereunder may be taken by the Representative on behalf of the Underwriters, and any such action taken by the Representative shall be binding upon the Underwriters.
(b) Notices. All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted and confirmed by any standard form of telecommunication. Notices to the Underwriters shall be given to the Representative c/o J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., 277 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10172 (fax: (212) 622-8358); Attention: Equity Syndicate Desk. Notices to the Company shall be given to it at [______________, _____________, ___________, (fax:______); Attention:__________.]
(c) Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
(d) Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in counterparts (which may include counterparts delivered by any standard form of telecommunication), each of which shall be an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
(e) Amendments or Waivers. No amendment or waiver of any provision of this Agreement, nor any consent or approval to any departure therefrom, shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be in writing and signed by the parties hereto.
(f) Headings. The headings herein are included for convenience of reference only and are not intended to be part of, or to affect the meaning or interpretation of, this Agreement.
[Signature Page follows]
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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please indicate your acceptance of this Agreement by signing in the space provided below.
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Schedule 1
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Annex A
[Form of Opinion of Counsel for the Company]
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Annex B
[Form of Opinion of Cayman Counsel for the Company]
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Exhibit A
[Letterhead Of Prospective Vendor Or Target Business]
, 200__
Overture Acquisition Corp.
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Ladies and Gentlemen:
We understand that Overture Acquisition Corp. (the Company) is a recently organized blank check company formed for the purpose of acquiring (an Initial Business Combination) one or more businesses or assets. We further understand that the Companys sole assets consist of the cash proceeds of the recent public offering (the IPO) and private placements of its securities, and that substantially all of those proceeds have been deposited in a trust account with a third party (the Trust Account) for the benefit of the Company, certain of its shareholders and the underwriters of its IPO. The monies in the Trust Account may be disbursed only (1) to the Company in limited amounts from time to time (and in no event more than $2,850,000 in total) in order to permit the Company to pay its operating expenses; (2) if the Company completes an Initial Business Combination, to certain dissenting public shareholders, to the underwriters in the amount of underwriting discounts and commissions they earned in the IPO but whose payment they have deferred, and then to the Company; and (3) if the Company fails to complete an Initial Business Combination within the allotted time period and liquidates, subject to the terms of the agreement governing the Trust Account, to the Company in limited amounts to permit the Company to pay the costs and expenses of its liquidation and dissolution, and then to the Companys public shareholders (as such term is defined in the agreement governing the Trust Account).
For and in consideration of the Companys agreement to engage our services, we hereby waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind (any Claim) we have or may have in the future in or to any monies in the Trust Account and agree not to seek recourse against the Trust Account or any funds distributed therefrom (except amounts released to the Company as described in clause (1) of the preceding paragraph) as a result of, or arising out of, any Claims against the Company in connection with contracts or agreements with the Company or in connection with services performed for or products provided to the Company.
This letter shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York. We hereby irrevocably waive, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this letter or any Claim subject hereto.
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| [NAME] |
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Exhibit B
[Letterhead of officer or director of Overture Acquisition Corp.]
Overture Acquisition Corp.
Public Offering of Units
, 2008
J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.
As Representative of the
several Underwriters listed
in Schedule 1 hereto
c/o J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.
270 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10017
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This lock-up letter agreement (the Lock-up Letter Agreement) is being delivered to you in connection with the proposed Underwriting Agreement (the Underwriting Agreement), between Overture Acquisition Corp., a corporation organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the Company), and you as the Representative of the group of Underwriters named therein, relating to an underwritten public offering of Units (the Offering) consisting of one ordinary share, par value $0.0001 per share (an Ordinary Share) and one warrant to purchase one Ordinary Share of the Company.
In order to induce you and the other Underwriters to enter into the Underwriting Agreement, the undersigned will not, without the prior written consent of J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, (or enter into any transaction which is designed to, or might reasonably be expected to, result in the disposition (whether by actual disposition or effective economic disposition due to cash settlement or otherwise) by the undersigned or any affiliate of the undersigned or any person in privity with the undersigned or any affiliate of the undersigned), directly or indirectly, including the filing (or participation in the filing) of a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission in respect of, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission promulgated thereunder with respect to, any share capital of the Company or any securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for such share capital, or publicly announce an intention to effect any such transaction, for a period of 180 days after the date of the Underwriting Agreement (the Restricted Period). The preceding sentence shall not apply to (A) bona fide gifts or gifts as a result of the operation of law or testate or intestate succession, (B) transfers by the undersigned to a trust, partnership, limited liability company or other entity, all of
the beneficial interests of which are held, directly or indirectly, by the undersigned or his or her spouse or children or (C) other dispositions of Ordinary Shares not for value, in each case that are made exclusively between and among the undersigned or members of the undersigneds family, or affiliates of the undersigned, including its partners (if a partnership) or members (if a limited liability company); provided, however, that it shall be a condition to any such transfer that (i) the transferee/donee agrees to be bound by the terms of this Lock-up Letter Agreement (including, without limitation, the restrictions set forth in the preceding sentence) to the same extent as if the transferee/donee were a party hereto (ii) no filing by any party (donor, donee, transferor or transferee) under the Exchange Act shall be required or shall be voluntarily made in connection with such transfer or distribution (other than a filing on a Form 5, Schedule 13D or Schedule 13G (or 13D-A or 13G-A) made after the expiration of the 180 day period referred to above), (iii) each party (donor, donee, transferor or transferee) shall not be required by law (including without limitation the disclosure requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Exchange Act) to make, and shall agree to not voluntarily make, any public announcement of the transfer or disposition and (iv) the undersigned notifies J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. in writing at least two business days prior to the proposed transfer or disposition. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if (1) during the last 17 days of the Restricted Period, the Company issues an earnings release or material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs or (2) prior to the expiration of the Restricted Period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 16 day period beginning on the last day of the Lock-Up Period, then the restrictions imposed in this paragraph shall continue to apply until the expiration of the 18 day period beginning on the issuance of the earnings release or the announcement of the material news or the occurrence of the material event, unless J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., on behalf of the Underwriters, waive such extension in writing. The undersigned hereby further agrees that, prior to engaging in any transaction or taking any other action that is subject to the terms of this Lock-Up Letter Agreement during the period from the date of this Lock-Up Letter Agreement to and including the 34th day following the expiration of the Restricted Period, it will give notice thereof to the Company and will not consummate such transaction or take any such action unless it has received written confirmation from the Company that the Restricted Period (as such may have been extended pursuant to this paragraph) has expired.
In furtherance of the foregoing, the Company and its transfer agent are hereby authorized to decline to make any transfer of securities if such transfer would constitute a violation or breach of this Lock-Up Letter Agreement.
The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power and authority to enter into this Lock-Up Letter Agreement. All authority herein conferred or agreed to be conferred and any obligations of the undersigned shall be binding upon the successors, assigns, heirs or personal representatives of the undersigned.
The undersigned understands that, if the Underwriting Agreement does not become effective, or if the Underwriting Agreement (other than the provisions thereof which survive termination) shall terminate or be terminated prior to payment for and delivery of the Units to be sold thereunder, the undersigned shall be released form all obligations under this Lock-Up Letter Agreement. The undersigned understands that the Underwriters are entering into
the Underwriting Agreement and proceeding with the Offering in reliance upon this Letter Agreement.
This Letter Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without regard to the conflict of laws principles thereof.
| Yours very truly, |
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| [Signature of officer or director] |
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