4,000,000 ZONAGEN, INC. Common Stock UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

Contract Categories: Business Finance - Underwriting Agreements
EX-1.1 2 h19186a4exv1w1.htm UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT exv1w1
 

EXHIBIT 1.1

4,000,000

ZONAGEN, INC.

Common Stock

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

January __, 2005

PUNK, ZIEGEL & COMPANY, L.P.
WR HAMBRECHT + CO, LLC
   As Representatives of the several Underwriters
c/o Punk, Ziegel & Company, L.P.
520 Madison Avenue, 7th Floor
New York, New York 10022

Dear Sirs:

1. Introductory. Zonagen, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), proposes to sell, pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, to the several underwriters named in Schedule A hereto (the “Underwriters” or, each, an “Underwriter”), an aggregate of 4,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”) of the Company. The aggregate of 4,000,000 shares so proposed to be sold is hereinafter referred to as the “Firm Stock”. The Company also proposes to sell to the Underwriters, upon the terms and conditions set forth in Section 3 hereof, up to an additional 600,000 shares of Common Stock (the “Optional Stock”). The Firm Stock and the Optional Stock are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Stock”. Punk, Ziegel & Company, L.P (“Punk Ziegel”) and WR Hambrecht + Co, LLC are acting as representatives of the several Underwriters and in such capacity are hereinafter referred to as the “Representatives.”

2. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, the several Underwriters that:

     (a) A registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-119861) (the “Initial Registration Statement”) in respect of the Stock has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”); the Initial Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, each in the form heretofore delivered to you, and, excluding exhibits thereto, to you for each of the other Underwriters, have been declared effective by the Commission in such form; other than a registration statement, if any, increasing the size of the offering (a “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement”), filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and the rules and regulations (the “Rules and Regulations”) of the Commission thereunder, which became effective upon filing, no other document with respect to the Initial Registration Statement has heretofore been filed with the Commission; and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Initial Registration Statement, any post-effective amendment thereto or the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, has been issued and no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by the Commission (any preliminary prospectus included in the Initial Registration Statement or filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(a) of the Rules and Regulations, is hereinafter called a “Preliminary Prospectus”); the various parts of the Initial Registration Statement and the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, including all exhibits thereto and including the information contained in the form of final prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act

 


 

and deemed by virtue of Rule 430A under the Securities Act to be part of the Initial Registration Statement at the time it was declared effective, each as amended at the time such part of the Initial Registration Statement became effective or such part of the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, became or hereafter becomes effective, are hereinafter collectively called the “Registration Statements”; and such final prospectus, in the form first filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, is hereinafter called the “Prospectus”. No document has been or will be prepared or distributed in reliance on Rule 434 under the Securities Act. No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus has been issued by the Commission.

     (b) The Registration Statement conforms (and the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements to either of the Registration Statements or the Prospectus, when they become effective or are filed with the Commission, as the case may be, will conform) in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations and do not and will not, as of the applicable effective date (as to the Registration Statements and any amendment thereto) and as of the applicable filing date (as to the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto) contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; provided, however, that the foregoing representations and warranties shall not apply to information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statements or the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement thereto in reliance upon, and in conformity with, written information furnished to the Company through the Representatives by or on behalf of any Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which information the parties hereto agree is limited to the Underwriter’s Information (as defined in section 16).

     (c) The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of State of Delaware, is duly qualified to do business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation in each jurisdiction in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, and has all power and authority necessary to own or hold its properties and to conduct the business in which it is engaged, except where the failure to so qualify or have such power or authority would not have, singularly or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, business or prospects of the Company (a “Material Adverse Effect”).

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

     (e) The Stock to be issued and sold by the Company to the Underwriters hereunder has been duly and validly authorized and, when issued and delivered against payment therefor as provided herein, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and free of any preemptive or similar rights and will conform to the description thereof contained in the Prospectus.

     (f) The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Prospectus, and all of the issued shares of capital stock of the Company, have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable, have been issued in compliance with federal and state securities laws, and conform to the description thereof contained in the Prospectus. None of the outstanding shares of Common Stock was issued in violation of any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities of the Company. There are no authorized or outstanding options, warrants, preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other rights to purchase, or equity or debt securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, any capital stock of the Company other than those accurately described in the Prospectus. The description of the Company’s stock option, stock bonus and other stock plans or arrangements, and the options or other rights granted thereunder, as described in the Prospectus accurately and fairly present the information required to be shown with respect to such plans, arrangements, options and rights.

 


 

     (g) [Intentionally omitted].

     (h) The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Company and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby will not (i) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company is subject, (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws of the Company, nor (iii) result in any violation of the provisions of any statute or any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties or assets, except, in the case of clauses (i) and (iii) above, as would not, singularly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

     (i) Except for the registration of the Stock under the Securities Act and such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under the Exchange Act and applicable state securities laws, the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., the Nasdaq SmallCap Market and the Pacific Exchange in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Stock by the Underwriters, no consent, approval, authorization or order of, or filing or registration with, any such court or governmental agency or body is required for the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Company and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, except where the failure to obtain such consent, approval, authorization or order, or make such filing or registration would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or materially adversely affect the transactions contemplated hereby.

     (j) PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, who have expressed their opinions on certain of the audited financial statements included in the Registration Statements and the Prospectus are independent public accountants as required by the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations.

     (k) The financial statements, together with the related notes, included in the Prospectus and in each Registration Statement fairly present in all material respects the financial position and the results of operations and the cash flows of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries at the respective dates or for the respective periods therein specified. Such statements and related notes have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis except as may be set forth in the Prospectus. The financial statements, together with the related notes and schedules, included in the Prospectus comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations thereunder. No other financial statements or supporting schedules or exhibits are required by the Securities Act or the Rules and Regulations thereunder to be included in the Prospectus.

     (l) The Company has not sustained, since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Prospectus, any material loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus; and, since such date, there has not been any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the business, general affairs, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus.

     (m) Except as set forth in the Prospectus, there is no legal or governmental proceeding pending to which the Company is a party or of which any property or assets of the Company is the subject which is required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus and is not described therein, or which, singularly or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to the Company, might have a Material Adverse Effect or would prevent or materially adversely affect the ability of the Company to

 


 

perform its obligations under this Agreement; and to the best of the Company’s knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental authorities or threatened by others.

     (n) The Company (i) is not in violation of its charter or by-laws, (ii) is not in default in any respect, and no event has occurred which, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default, in the due performance or observance of any term, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it is bound or to which any of its property or assets is subject or (iii) is not in violation in any respect of any law, ordinance, governmental rule, regulation or court decree to which it or its property or assets may be subject except, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, any violations or defaults which, singularly or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

     (o) The Company possesses all licenses, certificates, authorizations and permits issued by, and has made all declarations and filings with, the appropriate state, federal or foreign regulatory agencies or bodies which are necessary or desirable for the ownership of its properties or the conduct of its business as described in the Prospectus except where any failures to possess or make the same, singularly or in the aggregate, would not have a Material Adverse Effect, and the Company has not received notification of any revocation or modification of any such license, authorization or permit and has no reason to believe that any such license, certificate, authorization or permit will not be renewed.

     (p) The Company is not, nor after giving effect to the offering of the Stock and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectus will become, an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.

     (q) Neither the Company nor any of its officers, directors or affiliates has taken or will take, directly or indirectly, any action designed or intended to stabilize or manipulate the price of any security of the Company, or which caused or resulted in, or which might in the future reasonably be expected to cause or result in, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company.

     (r) The Company owns or possesses the right to use all patents, trademarks, trademark registrations, service marks, service mark registrations, trade names, copyrights, licenses, inventions, trade secrets and rights described in the Prospectus as being owned by it for the conduct of its business, and the Company is not aware of any claim to the contrary or any challenge by any other person to the rights of the Company with respect to the foregoing other than as described in the Prospectus. The Company’s business as now conducted and as proposed to be conducted does not and will not infringe or conflict with any patents, trademarks, service marks, trade names, copyrights, trade secrets, licenses or other intellectual property or franchise right of any person other than as described in the Prospectus. Except as described in the Prospectus, no claim has been made against the Company alleging the infringement by the Company of any patent, trademark, service mark, trade name, copyright, trade secret, license in or other intellectual property right or franchise right of any person.

     (s) The Company has good and marketable title in fee simple to, or has valid rights to lease or otherwise use, all items of real or personal property which are material to the business of the Company, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, claims and defects that may result in a Material Adverse Effect.

     (t) No labor disturbance by the employees of the Company exists or, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, is imminent which might be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company is not aware that any key employee or significant group of employees of the Company plans to terminate employment with the Company.

 


 

     (u) No “prohibited transaction” (as defined in Section 406 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (“ERISA”), or Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time (the “Code”)) or “accumulated funding deficiency” (as defined in Section 302 of ERISA) or any of the events set forth in Section 4043(b) of ERISA (other than events with respect to which the 30-day notice requirement under Section 4043 of ERISA has been waived) has occurred with respect to any employee benefit plan which could have a Material Adverse Effect; each employee benefit plan is in compliance in all material respects with applicable law, including ERISA and the Code; the Company has not incurred and does not expect to incur liability under Title IV of ERISA with respect to the termination of, or withdrawal from, any “pension plan”; and each “pension plan” (as defined in ERISA) for which the Company would have any liability that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified in all material respects and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which could cause the loss of such qualification.

     (v) There has been no storage, generation, transportation, handling, treatment, disposal, discharge, emission, or other release of any kind of toxic or other wastes or other hazardous substances by, due to, or caused by the Company (or, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, any other entity for whose acts or omissions the Company is or may be liable) upon any of the property now or previously owned or leased by the Company, or upon any other property, in violation of any statute or any ordinance, rule, regulation, order, judgment, decree or permit or which would, under any statute or any ordinance, rule (including rule of common law), regulation, order, judgment, decree or permit, give rise to any liability, except for any violation or liability which would not have, singularly or in the aggregate with all such violations and liabilities, a Material Adverse Effect; there has been no disposal, discharge, emission or other release of any kind onto such property or into the environment surrounding such property of any toxic or other wastes or other hazardous substances with respect to which the Company has knowledge, except for any such disposal, discharge, emission, or other release of any kind which would not have, singularly or in the aggregate with all such discharges and other releases, a Material Adverse Effect.

     (w) The Company (i) has filed all necessary federal, state and foreign income and franchise tax returns, (ii) has paid all federal state, local and foreign taxes due and payable for which it is liable, and (iii) does not have any tax deficiency or claims outstanding or assessed or, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, proposed against it which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

     (x) The Company carries, or is covered by, insurance in such amounts and covering such risks as is adequate for the conduct of its business and the value of its properties and as is customary for companies engaged in similar businesses in similar industries.

     (y) The Company maintains a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.

     (z) The minute books of the Company have been made available to the Underwriters and counsel for the Underwriters, and such books (i) contain a complete summary in all material respects of all meetings and actions of the board of directors (including each board committee) and stockholders of the Company since the time of its respective incorporation through the date of the latest meeting and action, and (ii) accurately in all material respects reflect all transactions referred to in such minutes.

 


 

     (aa) There is no franchise, lease, contract, agreement, license or document required by the Securities Act or by the Rules and Regulations to be described in the Prospectus or to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statements which is not described or filed therein as required; and all descriptions of any such franchises, leases, contracts, agreements, licenses or documents contained in the Registration Statements are accurate and complete descriptions of such documents in all material respects. Other than as described in the Prospectus, no such franchise, lease, contract, license or agreement has been suspended or terminated for convenience or default by the Company or any of the other parties thereto, and the Company has not received notice or any other knowledge of any such pending or threatened suspension or termination, nor is the Company aware of any noncompliance or other conditions or facts that may constitute a basis for any such suspension or termination, except for such pending or threatened suspensions or terminations that would not reasonably be expected to, singularly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

     (bb) No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company on the one hand, and the directors, officers, stockholders, customers or suppliers of the Company on the other hand, which is required to be described in the Prospectus and which is not so described.

     (cc) No person or entity has the right to require registration of shares of Common Stock or other securities of the Company because of the filing or effectiveness of the Registration Statements or otherwise, except for persons and entities who have expressly waived such right or who have been given timely and proper notice and have failed to exercise such right within the time or times required under the terms and conditions of such right.

     (dd) The Company does not own any “margin securities” as that term is defined in Regulation U of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve Board”), and none of the proceeds of the sale of the Stock will be used, directly or indirectly, for the purpose of purchasing or carrying any margin security, for the purpose of reducing or retiring any indebtedness which was originally incurred to purchase or carry any margin security or for any other purpose which might cause any of the Securities to be considered a “purpose credit” within the meanings of Regulation T, U or X of the Federal Reserve Board.

     (ee) The Company is not a party to any contract, agreement or understanding with any person that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or the Underwriters for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or like payment in connection with the offering and sale of the Stock.

     (ff) No forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in the Prospectus has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith.

     (gg) The Stock has been approved for listing subject to notice of issuance on the NASDAQ Stock Market’s SmallCap Market and has been approved for listing subject to notice of issuance on Tier II of the Pacific Exchange.

     (hh) The Company is in compliance with all applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder or implementing the provisions thereof (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) that are then in effect and is actively taking steps to ensure that it will be in compliance with other applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act not currently in effect upon and at all times after the effectiveness of such provisions.

     (ii) The Company is in compliance with all applicable corporate governance requirements set forth in the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules that are now in effect and is actively taking steps to ensure that it

 


 

will be in compliance with other applicable corporate governance requirements set forth in the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules not currently in effect upon and all times after the effectiveness of such requirements.

     (jj) Neither the Company nor, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, any employee or agent of the Company, has made any contribution or other payment to any official of, or candidate for, any federal, state or foreign office in violation of any law or of the character required to be disclosed in the Prospectus.

     (kk) There are no transactions, arrangements or other relationships between and/or among the Company, any of its affiliates (as such term is defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act) and any unconsolidated entity, including, but not limited to, any structure finance, special purpose or limited purpose entity that could reasonably be expected to materially affect the Company’s liquidity or the availability of or requirements for its capital resources required to be described in the Prospectus which have not been described as required.

     (ll) There are no outstanding loans, advances (except normal advances for business expense 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, except as disclosed in the Prospectus.

     (mm) The Company is in full compliance and in good standing with all material provisions set forth in the PHS Patent License Agreement dated April 16, 1999 between the Company and certain agencies of the United States Public Health Service within the Department of Health and Human Services, as amended.

3. Purchase Sale and Delivery of Offered Securities.

     (a) On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, but subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to sell to each Underwriter, and each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company that number of shares of Firm Stock (rounded up or down, as determined by Punk Ziegel in its discretion, in order to avoid fractions) obtained by multiplying 4,000,000 shares of Firm Stock by a fraction the numerator of which is the number of shares of Firm Stock set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule A hereto and the denominator of which is the total number of shares of Firm Stock.

     (b) The purchase price per share to be paid by the Underwriters to the Company for the Stock will be $           per share (the “Purchase Price”), which reflects the public offering price of $___ per share minus the underwriting discount of $           per share, as shall be set forth on the front cover of the Prospectus.

     (c) The Company will deliver the Firm Stock to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters (in the form of definitive certificates, issued in such names and in such denominations as the Representatives may direct by notice in writing to the Company given at or prior to 12:00 Noon, New York time, on the second full business day preceding the First Closing Date (as defined below) against payment of the aggregate Purchase Price therefor by wire transfer to an account at a bank acceptable to Punk Ziegel, payable to the order of the Company, all at the offices of Morrison & Foerster LLP, 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10104. Time shall be of the essence, and delivery at the time and place specified pursuant to this Agreement is a further condition of the obligations of each Underwriter hereunder. The time and date of the delivery and closing shall be at 10:00 A.M., New York time, on January ___, 2005, in accordance with Rule 15c6-1 of the Exchange Act. The time and date of such payment and delivery are herein referred to as the “First Closing Date”. The First Closing Date and the location of delivery of, and the form of payment for, the Firm Stock may be varied by agreement between the Company and Punk Ziegel.

 


 

     (d) The Company shall make the certificates for the Stock available to the Representatives for examination on behalf of the Underwriters in New York, New York at least twenty-four hours prior to the First Closing Date.

     (e) For the purpose of covering any over-allotments in connection with the distribution and sale of the Firm Stock as contemplated by the Prospectus, the Underwriters may purchase all or less than all of the Optional Stock. The price per share to be paid for the Optional Stock shall be the Purchase Price. The Company agrees to sell to the Underwriters the number of shares of Optional Stock specified in the written notice by Punk Ziegel described below and the Underwriters agree, severally and not jointly, to purchase such shares of Optional Stock. Such shares of Optional Stock shall be purchased from the Company for the account of each Underwriter in the same proportion as the number of shares of Firm Stock set forth opposite such Underwriter’s name bears to the total number of shares of Firm Stock (subject to adjustment by Punk Ziegel to eliminate fractions). The option granted hereby may be exercised as to all or any part of the Optional Stock at any time, and from time to time, not more than thirty (30) days subsequent to the date of this Agreement. No Optional Stock shall be sold and delivered unless the Firm Stock previously has been, or simultaneously is, sold and delivered. The right to purchase the Optional Stock or any portion thereof may be surrendered and terminated at any time upon written notice by Punk Ziegel to the Company.

     The option granted hereby may be exercised by written notice being given to the Company by Punk Ziegel setting forth the number of shares of the Optional Stock to be purchased by the Underwriters and the date and time for delivery of and payment for the Optional Stock. Each date and time for delivery of and payment for the Optional Stock (which may be the First Closing Date, but not earlier) is herein called the “Option Closing Date” and shall in no event be earlier than two (2) business days nor later than five (5) business days after written notice is given. (The Option Closing Date and the First Closing Date are herein called the “Closing Dates”.)

     The Company will deliver the Optional Stock to the Underwriters (in the form of definitive certificates, issued in such names and in such denominations as the Representatives may direct by notice in writing to the Company given at or prior to 12:00 Noon, New York time, on the second full business day preceding the Option Closing Date against payment of the aggregate Purchase Price therefor in federal (same day) funds by certified or official bank check or checks or wire transfer to an account at a bank acceptable to Punk Ziegel payable to the order of the Company. Time shall be of the essence, and delivery at the time and place specified pursuant to this Agreement is a further condition of the obligations of each Underwriter hereunder. The Company shall make the certificates for the Optional Stock available to the Representatives for examination on behalf of the Underwriters in New York, New York not later than 10:00 A.M., New York Time, on the business day preceding the Option Closing Date. The Option Closing Date and the location of delivery of, and the form of payment for, the Optional Stock may be varied by agreement between the Company and Punk Ziegel.

     The several Underwriters propose to offer the Stock for sale upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Prospectus.

4. Further Agreements of the Company. The Company agrees with the several Underwriters that:

     (a) The Company will prepare the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if necessary, in a form approved by the Representatives and file such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement with the Commission on the date hereof; prepare the Prospectus in a form approved by the Representatives and file such Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act not later than the second business day following the execution and delivery of this Agreement; make no further amendment or any supplement to the Registration Statements or to the Prospectus to which the Representatives shall reasonably object

 


 

by notice to the Company after a reasonable period to review; advise the Representatives, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time when any amendment to either Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective or any supplement to the Prospectus or any amended Prospectus has been filed and to furnish the Representatives with copies thereof; advise the Representatives, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, of the suspension of the qualification of the Stock for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose, or of any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of the Registration Statements or the Prospectus or for additional information; and, in the event of the issuance of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or suspending any such qualification, use promptly its best efforts to obtain its withdrawal.

     (b) If at any time prior to the expiration of nine months after the effective date of the Initial Registration Statement when a prospectus relating to the Stock is required to be delivered any event occurs 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 necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or if it is necessary at any time to amend the Prospectus to comply with the Securities Act, the Company will promptly notify the Representatives thereof and upon their request will prepare an amended or supplemented Prospectus which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance. The Company will furnish without charge to each Underwriter and to any dealer in securities as many copies as the Representatives may from time to time reasonably request of such amended or supplemented Prospectus; and in case any Underwriter is required to deliver a prospectus relating to the Stock nine months or more after the effective date of the Initial Registration Statement, the Company upon the request of the Representatives and at the expense of such Underwriter will prepare promptly an amended or supplemented Prospectus as may be necessary to permit compliance with the requirements of Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act.

     (c) To furnish promptly to each of the Representatives and to counsel for the Underwriters a signed copy of each of the Registration Statements as originally filed with the Commission, and each amendment thereto filed with the Commission, including all consents and exhibits filed therewith.

     (d) To deliver promptly to the Representatives in New York City such number of the following documents as the Representatives shall reasonably request: (i) conformed copies of the Registration Statements as originally filed with the Commission and each amendment thereto (in each case excluding exhibits), (ii) each Preliminary Prospectus, (iii) the Prospectus (not later than 10:00 A.M., New York time, of the business day following the execution and delivery of this Agreement) and any amended or supplemented Prospectus (not later than 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on the business day following the date of such amendment or supplement).

     (e) To make generally available to its stockholders as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than eighteen months after the effective date of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c) under the Securities Act), an earnings statement of the Company (which need not be audited) complying with Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations (including, at the option of the Company, Rule 158).

     (f) The Company will promptly take from time to time such actions as the Representatives may reasonably request to qualify the Stock for offering and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives may designate and to continue such qualifications in effect for so long as required for the distribution of the Stock; provided that the Company shall not be obligated to qualify as a foreign corporation in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction.

 


 

     (g) During the period of five years from the date hereof, the Company will deliver to the Representatives and, upon request, to each of the other Underwriters, (i) as soon as they are available, copies of all reports or other communications furnished to stockholders and (i) as soon as they are available, copies of any reports and financial statements furnished or filed with the Commission pursuant to the Exchange Act or any national securities exchange or automatic quotation system on which the Stock is listed or quoted.

     (h) The Company will not directly or indirectly offer, sell, assign, transfer, pledge, contract to sell, or otherwise dispose of any shares of Common Stock or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock for a period of 90 days from the date of the Prospectus without the prior written consent of Punk Ziegel, other than the Company’s sale of the Stock hereunder and the issuance of shares pursuant to employee benefit plans, qualified stock option plans or other employee compensation plans existing on the date hereof or pursuant to currently outstanding options, warrants or rights; the Company will cause each officer and director listed in Schedule B to furnish to the Representatives, prior to the First Closing Date, a letter, substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto, pursuant to which each such person shall agree not to directly or indirectly offer, sell, assign, transfer, pledge, contract to sell, or otherwise dispose of any shares of Common Stock or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock for a period of 90 days after the date of the Prospectus, without the prior written consent of Punk Ziegel. If (i) during the last 17 days of the 90 day period, the Company issues an earnings release or material news release or if a material event relating to the Company occurs, or (ii) prior to the expiration of the 90 day period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the 90 day period, the restrictions imposed by the letter 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.

     (i) The Company will supply the Representatives with copies of all correspondence to and from, and all documents issued to and by, the Commission in connection with the registration of the Stock under the Securities Act.

     (j) Prior to each of the Closing Dates, the Company will furnish to the Representatives, as soon as they have been prepared, copies of any unaudited interim consolidated financial statements of the Company for any periods subsequent to the periods covered by the financial statements appearing in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

     (k) Prior to each of the Closing Dates, the Company will not issue any press release or other communication directly or indirectly or hold any press conference with respect to the Company, its condition, financial or otherwise, or earnings, business affairs or business prospects (except for routine oral marketing communications in the ordinary course of business and consistent with the past practices of the Company and of which the Representatives are notified), without the prior written consent of the Representatives, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed, unless in the judgment of the Company and its counsel, and after notification to the Representatives, such press release or communication is required by law.

     (l) In connection with the offering of the Stock, until Punk Ziegel shall have notified the Company of the completion of the resale of the Stock, the Company will not, and will use all commercially reasonable efforts to cause its affiliated purchasers (as defined in Regulation M under the Exchange Act) not to, either alone or with one or more other persons, bid for or purchase, for any account in which it or any of its affiliated purchasers has a beneficial interest, any Stock, or attempt to induce any person to purchase any Stock; and not to, and to use all commercially reasonable efforts to cause its affiliated purchasers not to, make bids or purchase for the purpose of creating actual, or apparent, active trading in or of raising the price of the Stock.

 


 

     (m) The Company will not take any action prior to each of the Closing Dates which would require the Prospectus to be amended or supplemented pursuant to Section 4(b).

     (n) The Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to at all times comply with all applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in effect from time to time.

     (o) The Company will apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Stock as set forth in the Prospectus under the heading “Use of Proceeds”.

5. Payment of Expenses. The Company agrees with the Underwriter to pay (a) the costs incident to the authorization, issuance, sale, preparation and delivery of the Stock and any taxes payable in that connection; (b) the costs incident to the Registration of the Stock under the Securities Act; (c) the costs incident to the preparation, printing and distribution of the Registration Statement, Preliminary Prospectus, Prospectus and any amendments and exhibits thereto, the costs of printing, reproducing and distributing the “Agreement Among Underwriters” between the Representatives and the Underwriters, the Master Selected Dealers’ Agreement, the Underwriters’ Questionnaire and this Agreement by mail, telex or other means of communications; (d) the fees and expenses (including related fees and expenses of counsel for the Underwriters) incurred in connection with filings made with the National Association of Securities Dealers; (e) any applicable listing or other fees; (f) the fees and expenses of qualifying the Stock under the securities laws of the several jurisdictions as provided in Section 4(f) and of preparing, printing and distributing Blue Sky Memoranda and Legal Investment Surveys (including related fees and expenses of counsel to the Underwriters); (g) travel and other out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the underwriters in connection with the offering of the Stock (including the reasonable fees, expenses and other charges of underwriters’ counsel) up to $150,000, in addition to such fees and expenses payable pursuant to clauses (d) and (f) of this Section 5; (h) all fees and expenses of the registrar and transfer agent of the Stock; and (i) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement (including, without limitation, the fees and expenses of the Company’s counsel and the Company’s independent accountants); provided that, except as otherwise provided in this Section 5 and in Section 9, the Underwriters shall pay their own costs and expenses (to the extent such costs and expenses exceed the $150,000 limit in clause (g) of this Section 5), including the fees and expenses of their counsel, any transfer taxes on the Stock which they may sell and the expenses of advertising any offering of the Stock made by the Underwriters.

6. Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations. The respective obligations of the several Underwriters hereunder are subject to the accuracy, when made and on each of the Closing Dates, of the representations and warranties of the Company contained herein, to the accuracy of the statements of the Company made in any certificates pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company of their obligations hereunder, and to each of the following additional terms and conditions:

     (a) No stop order suspending the effectiveness of either of the Registration Statements shall have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission, and any request for additional information on the part of the Commission (to be included in the Registration Statements or the Prospectus or otherwise) shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of the Representatives. The Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, and the Prospectus shall have been timely filed with the Commission in accordance with Section 4(a).

     (b) None of the Underwriters shall have discovered and disclosed to the Company on or prior to the Closing Date that the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto contains an untrue statement of a fact which, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, is material or omits to state any fact which, in the opinion of such counsel, is material and is required to be stated therein or is necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

 


 

     (c) All corporate proceedings and other legal matters incident to the authorization, form and validity of each of this Agreement, the Stock, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and all other legal matters relating to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall be reasonably satisfactory in all material respects to counsel for the Underwriters, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel all documents and information that they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters.

     (d) Winstead Sechrest & Minick P.C. shall have furnished to the Representatives such counsel’s written opinion, as counsel to the Company, addressed to the Underwriters and dated the Closing Date, in substantially the form attached as Exhibit B.

     (e) Howrey Simon Arnold & White, LLP shall have furnished to the Representatives such counsel’s written opinion, as intellectual property counsel to the Company, addressed to the Underwriters and dated the Closing Date, in substantially the form attached as Exhibit C.

     (f) The Representatives shall have received from Morrison & Foerster LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, such opinion or opinions, dated the Closing Date, with respect to such matters as the Underwriters may reasonably require, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they request for enabling them to pass upon such matters.

     (g) At the time of the execution of this Agreement, the Representatives shall have received from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP a letter, addressed to the Underwriters and dated such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives (i) confirming that they are independent certified public accountants with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations and (ii) stating the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained or incorporated by reference in the Prospectus.

     (h) On the Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received a letter (the “bring-down letter”) from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP addressed to the Underwriters and dated the Closing Date confirming, as of the date of the bring-down letter (or, with respect to matters involving changes or developments since the respective dates as of which specified financial information is given in the Prospectus as of a date not more than three business days prior to the date of the bring-down letter), the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the financial information and other matters covered by its letter delivered to the Representatives concurrently with the execution of this Agreement pursuant to Section 6(g).

     (i) The Company shall have furnished to the Representatives a certificate, dated the Closing Date, of its Chief Executive Officer and President and its chief financial officer stating that (i) such officers have carefully examined the Registration Statements and the Prospectus and, in their opinion, the Registration Statements as of their respective effective dates and the Prospectus, as of each such effective date, did not include any untrue statement of a material fact and did not omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, (ii) since the effective date of the Initial Registration Statement no event has occurred which should have been set forth in a supplement or amendment to the Registration Statements or the Prospectus, (iii) to the best of their knowledge after reasonable investigation, as of the Closing Date, the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct and 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 (iv) subsequent to the date of the most recent financial statements included in the Prospectus, there has been no material adverse change in the financial position or results of operation of the Company, or any material adverse change, or any development including a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, business or prospects of the Company, except as set forth in the Prospectus.

 


 

     (j) The Company shall not have sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Prospectus any loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus (ii) since such date there shall not have been any material change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the business, general affairs, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company, except for option issuances or issuances of stock upon exercises of options in the ordinary course after the date as of which outstanding options and shares of stock are described in the Prospectus or otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus, the effect of which, in any such case described in clause (i) or (ii), is, in the judgment of the Representatives, so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the sale or delivery of the Stock on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus.

     (k) No action shall have been taken and no statute, rule, regulation or order shall have been enacted, adopted or issued by any governmental agency or body which would, as of the Closing Date, prevent the issuance or sale of the Stock or materially and adversely affect or potentially materially and adversely affect the business or operations of the Company; and no injunction, restraining order or order of any other nature by any federal or state court of competent jurisdiction shall have been issued as of the Closing Date which would prevent the issuance or sale of the Stock or materially and adversely affect or potentially materially and adversely affect the business or operations of the Company.

     (l) Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement there shall not have occurred any of the following: (i) trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange or the American Stock Exchange or in the over-the-counter market, or trading in any securities of the Company on any exchange or in the over-the-counter market, shall have been suspended or minimum or maximum prices or maximum range for prices shall have been established on any such exchange or such market by the Commission, by such exchange or by any other regulatory body or governmental authority having jurisdiction, (ii) a banking moratorium shall have been declared by Federal or state authorities or a material disruption has occurred in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States, (iii) the United States shall have become engaged in hostilities, or the subject of an act of terrorism, or there shall have been an escalation in hostilities involving the United States, or there shall have been a declaration of a national emergency or war by the United States or (iv) there shall have occurred such a material adverse change in general economic, political or financial conditions (or the effect of international conditions on the financial markets in the United States shall be such) as to make it, in the judgment of the Representatives, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the sale or delivery of the Stock on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus.

     (m) The NASDAQ Stock Market’s SmallCap Market and Tier II of the Pacific Exchange shall have approved the Stock for listing, subject only to official notice of issuance.

     (n) Punk Ziegel shall have received the written agreements, substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto, of the officers, directors and stockholders of the Company listed in Schedule B to this Agreement.

     All opinions, letters, evidence and certificates 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) The Company shall indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its officers, employees, representatives and agents and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act (collectively the “Underwriter Indemnified Parties” and each, an “Underwriter Indemnified Party”) against any loss, claim, damage or liability, joint or several, or any action in respect thereof, to which an Underwriter Indemnified Party may become subject, under the Securities Act or otherwise, insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or action arises out of or is based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Preliminary Prospectus, either of the Registration Statements or the Prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto, (ii) the omission or alleged omission to state in any Preliminary Prospectus, either of the Registration Statements or the Prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or (iii) any act or failure to act, or any alleged act or failure to act, by any Underwriter in connection with, or relating in any manner to, the Stock or the offering contemplated hereby, and which is included as part of or referred to in any loss, claim, damage, liability or action arising out of or based upon matters covered by clause (i) or (ii) above, (provided that the Company shall not be liable in the case of any matter covered by this clause (iii) to the extent that it is determined in a final judgment by a court of competent jurisdiction that such loss, claim, damage, liability or action resulted directly from any such act or failure to act undertaken or omitted to be taken by such Underwriter through its gross negligence or willful misconduct) and shall reimburse each Underwriter Indemnified Party promptly upon demand for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter Indemnified Party in connection with investigating or preparing to defend or defending against or appearing as a third party witness in connection with any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement in or omission or alleged omission from the Preliminary Prospectus, either of the Registration Statements or the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company through the Representatives by or on behalf of any Underwriter specifically for use therein, which information the parties hereto agree is limited to the Underwriter’s Information (as defined in Section 16).

This indemnity agreement is not exclusive and will be in addition to any liability which the Company might otherwise have and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available at law or in equity to each Underwriter Indemnified Party.

     (b) Each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, shall indemnify and hold harmless the Company its officers, employees, representatives and agents, each of its directors and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act (collectively the “Company Indemnified Parties” and each a “Company Indemnified Party”), against any loss, claim, damage or liability, joint or several, or any action in respect thereof, to which the Company Indemnified Parties may become subject, under the Securities Act or otherwise, insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or action arises out of or is based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Preliminary Prospectus, either of the Registration Statements or the Prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto or (ii) the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, but in each case only to the extent that the untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company through the Representatives by or on behalf of such Underwriter specifically for use therein, and shall reimburse the Company Indemnified Parties for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such parties in connection with investigating or preparing to defend or defending against or appearing as third party witness in connection with any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action as such expenses are incurred;

 


 

provided that the parties hereto hereby agree that such written information provided by the Underwriters consists solely of the Underwriter’s Information. This indemnity agreement is not exclusive and will be in addition to any liability which the Underwriters might otherwise have and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available at law or in equity to the Company Indemnified Parties.

     (c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 7 of notice of any claim or the commencement of any action, the indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under this Section 7, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the claim or the commencement of that action; provided, however, that the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have under this Section 7 except to the extent it has been materially prejudiced by such failure; and, provided, further, that the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have to an indemnified party otherwise than under this Section 7. If any such claim or action shall be brought against an indemnified party, and it shall notify the indemnifying party thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it wishes, jointly with any other similarly notified indemnifying party, to assume the defense thereof with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party. After notice from the indemnifying party to the indemnified party of its election to assume the defense of such claim or action, the indemnifying party shall not be liable to the indemnified party under this Section 7 for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by the indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation; provided, however, that any indemnified party shall have the right to employ separate counsel in any such action and to participate in the defense thereof but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such indemnified party unless (i) the employment thereof has been specifically authorized by the indemnifying party in writing, (ii) such indemnified party shall have been advised by such counsel that there may be one or more legal defenses available to it which are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party and in the reasonable judgment of such counsel it is advisable for such indemnified party to employ separate counsel or (iii) the indemnifying party has failed to assume the defense of such action and employ counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party, in which case, if such indemnified party notifies the indemnifying party in writing that it elects to employ separate counsel at the expense of the indemnifying party, the indemnifying party shall not have the right to assume the defense of such action on behalf of such indemnified party, it being understood, however, that the indemnifying party shall not, in connection with any one such action or separate but substantially similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances, be liable for the reasonable fees and expenses of more than one separate firm of attorneys at any time for all such indemnified parties, which firm shall be designated in writing by Punk Ziegel, if the indemnified parties under this Section 7 consist of any Underwriter Indemnified Party, or by the Company if the indemnified parties under this Section 7 consist of any Company Indemnified Parties. Each indemnified party, as a condition of the indemnity agreements contained in Sections 7(a) and 7(b), shall use all reasonable efforts to cooperate with the indemnifying party in the defense of any such action or claim. Subject to the provisions of Section 7(d) below, no indemnifying party shall be liable for any settlement of any such action effected without its written consent (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld), but if settled with its written consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff in any such action, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify and hold harmless any indemnified party from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment.

     (d) If at any time an indemnified party shall have requested that an indemnifying party reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel, such indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated by this Section 7 effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 45 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the request for reimbursement, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 30 days prior to such settlement being entered into and (iii) such indemnifying

 


 

party shall not have reimbursed such indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement.

     (e) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 7 is unavailable or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under Section 7(a) or 7(b), then each indemnifying party shall, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party, contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such loss, claim, damage or liability, or action in respect thereof, (i) in such proportion as shall be 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 Stock or if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other with respect to the statements or omissions which resulted in such loss, claim, damage or liability, or action in respect thereof, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other with respect to such offering shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Stock purchased under this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters with respect to the Stock purchased under this Agreement, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company on the one hand or the Underwriters on the other, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such untrue statement or omission; provided that the parties hereto agree that the written information furnished to the Company through the Representatives by or on behalf of the Underwriters for use in any Preliminary Prospectus, either of the Registration Statements or the Prospectus consists solely of the Underwriter’s Information. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this Section 7(e) were to be determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take into account the equitable considerations referred to herein. The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the loss, claim, damage or liability, or action in respect thereof, referred to above in this Section 7(e) shall be deemed to include, for purposes of this Section 7(e), any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7(e), no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Stock underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public less the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise paid or become liable to pay by reason of any 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 as provided in this Section 7(e) are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint.

8. Termination. The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder may be terminated by Punk Ziegel, in its absolute discretion by notice given to and received by the Company prior to delivery of and payment for the Stock if, prior to that time, any of the events described in Section 6(j) have occurred or if the Underwriters shall decline to purchase the Stock for any reason permitted under this Agreement.

9. Reimbursement of Underwriters’ Expenses. If (a) this Agreement shall have been terminated pursuant to Section 8 or 10, (b) the Company shall fail to tender the Stock for delivery to the Underwriters for any reason not permitted under this Agreement, or (c) the Underwriters shall decline to purchase the Stock for any reason permitted under this Agreement, the Company shall reimburse the Underwriters for

 


 

all of the fees and expenses of their counsel and for all such other out-of-pocket accountable expenses as shall have been actually incurred by them in connection with this Agreement and the proposed purchase of the Stock, and upon demand the Company shall pay the full amount thereof to the Punk Ziegel. If this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 10 by reason of the default of one or more Underwriters, the Company shall not be obligated to reimburse any defaulting Underwriter on account of those expenses.

10. Substitution of Underwriters. If any Underwriter or Underwriters shall default in its or their obligations to purchase shares of Stock hereunder and the aggregate number of shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase does not exceed ten percent (10%) of the total number of shares underwritten, the other Underwriters shall be obligated severally, in proportion to their respective commitments hereunder, to purchase the shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase. If any Underwriter or Underwriters shall so default and the aggregate number of shares with respect to which such default or defaults occur is more than ten percent (10%) of the total number of shares underwritten and arrangements satisfactory to the Representatives and the Company for the purchase of such shares by other persons are not made within forty-eight (48) hours after such default, this Agreement shall terminate.

     If the remaining Underwriters or substituted Underwriters are required hereby or agree to take up all or part of the shares of Stock of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters as provided in this Section 10, (i) the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Dates for a period of not more than five (5) full business days in order that the Company may effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any other documents or arrangements, and the Company agrees promptly to file any amendments to the Registration Statement or supplements to the Prospectus which may thereby be made necessary, and (ii) the respective numbers of shares to be purchased by the remaining Underwriters or substituted Underwriters shall be taken as the basis of their underwriting obligation for all purposes of this Agreement. Nothing herein contained shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter of its liability to the Company or the other Underwriters for damages occasioned by its default hereunder. Any termination of this Agreement pursuant to this Section 10 shall be without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company, except expenses to be paid or reimbursed pursuant to Sections 5 and 9 and except the provisions of Section 7 shall not terminate and shall remain in effect.

11. Successors; Persons Entitled to Benefit of Agreement. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the several Underwriters, the Company and their respective successors. Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person other than the persons mentioned in the preceding sentence any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement, or any provisions herein contained, this Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof being intended to be and being for the sole and exclusive benefit of such persons and for the benefit of no other person; except that the representations, warranties, covenants, agreements and indemnities of the Company contained in this Agreement shall also be for the benefit of the Underwriter Indemnified Parties, and the indemnities of the several Underwriters shall also be for the benefit of the Company Indemnified Parties. It is understood that the Underwriter’s responsibility to the Company is solely contractual in nature and the Underwriters do not owe the Company, or any other party, any fiduciary duty as a result of this Agreement.

12. Survival of Indemnities, Representations, Warranties, etc. The respective indemnities, covenants, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company and the several Underwriters, as set forth in this Agreement or made by them respectively, pursuant to this Agreement, shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, the Company or any person controlling any of them and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Stock.

 


 

13. Notices. All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in writing, and:

     (a) if to the Underwriters, shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to Punk, Ziegel & Company, L.P., Attention: Equity Capital Markets (Fax: 212 ###-###-####); with a copy to: Morrison & Foerster LLP, 1290 Avenue of the Americas, 41st Floor, New York, New York 10104, Attention: Jeffrey S. Marcus, Esq. (Fax: 212 ###-###-####); and

     (b) if to the Company shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to Zonagen, Inc., Attention: President (Fax: 281 ###-###-####); with a copy to: Winstead Sechrest & Minick P.C., 1450 Lake Robbins Drive, Suite 600, The Woodlands, Texas 77380, Attention: Jeffrey R. Harder, Esq. (Fax: 281 ###-###-####);

     provided, however, that any notice to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 7 shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to such Underwriter at its address set forth in its acceptance telex to the Representatives, which address will be supplied to any other party hereto by Punk Ziegel upon request. Any such statements, requests, notices or agreements shall take effect at the time of receipt thereof.

14. Definition of Certain Terms. For purposes of this Agreement, “business day” means any day on which the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. is open for trading.

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

16. Underwriters’ Information. The parties hereto acknowledge and agree that, for all purposes of this Agreement, the Underwriters’ Information consists solely of the following information in the Prospectus: (i) the last paragraph on the front cover page concerning the terms of the offering by the Underwriters; and (ii) the statements concerning the Underwriters contained in the third, ninth and tenth paragraphs and the last sentence of the eighth paragraph under the heading “Underwriting.”

17. Authority of the Representatives. In connection with this Agreement, you will act for and on behalf of the several Underwriters, and any action taken under this Agreement by the Representatives, will be binding on all the Underwriters.

18. Partial Unenforceability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any Section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other Section, paragraph or provision hereof. If any Section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement is for any reason determined to be invalid or unenforceable, there shall be deemed to be made such minor changes (and only such minor changes) as are necessary to make it valid and enforceable.

19. General. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties to this Agreement and supersedes all prior written or oral and all contemporaneous oral agreements, understandings and negotiations with respect to the subject matter hereof, other than the engagement letter, dated October 6, 2004, between the Company and Punk Ziegel. In this Agreement, the masculine, feminine and neuter genders and the singular and the plural include one another. The section headings in this Agreement are for the convenience of the parties only and will not affect the construction or interpretation of this Agreement. This Agreement may be amended or modified, and the observance of any term of this Agreement may be waived, only by a writing signed by the Company and the Representatives.

20. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument.

 


 

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     If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of the agreement between the Company and the several Underwriters, kindly indicate your acceptance in the space provided for that purpose below.

         
  Very truly yours,


ZONAGEN, INC.
 
 
  By:   ____________________________    
    Name:      
    Title:      
 

Accepted as of
the date first above written:

PUNK, ZIEGEL & COMPANY, L.P.
WR HAMBRECHT + CO, LLC
   Acting on their own behalf
   and as Representatives of several
   Underwriters referred to in the
   foregoing Agreement.

By: PUNK, ZIEGEL & COMPANY, L.P.

 

         
By:   ______________________________________  
  Name:    
  Title: