text:
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): September 29, 2019
CERENCE INC.
(Commission
File No.)
15 Wayside Road
Burlington, Massachusetts
Common stock, $0.01 par value CRNC The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC
Emerging growth company ☒
Item 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
Spin-Off and Related Agreements
On October 1, 2019 (the "Distribution Date"), Nuance Communications, Inc. ("Nuance") completed the previously announced complete legal and structural separation and distribution to its stockholders of all of the outstanding shares of Cerence Inc. ("Cerence" and, together with its consolidated subsidiaries, "we," "us," "our" or the "Company") in a tax free spin-off (the "Spin-Off"). The distribution was made in the amount of one share of the Company's common stock for every eight shares of Nuance common stock (the "Distribution") owned by Nuance's stockholders as of 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on September 17, 2019, the record date of the Distribution.
On September 30, 2019, in connection with the Spin-Off, the Company entered into several agreements with Nuance that set forth the principal actions taken or to be taken in connection with the Spin-Off and that govern the relationship of the parties following the Spin-Off, including the following:
a Separation and Distribution Agreement;
a Tax Matters Agreement;
a Transition Services Agreement;
an Employee Matters Agreement;
an Intellectual Property Agreement; and
a Transitional Trademark License Agreement.
The descriptions included below of the Separation and Distribution Agreement, Tax Matters Agreement, Transition Services Agreement, Employee Matters Agreement, Intellectual Property Agreement and Transitional Trademark License Agreement do not purport to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the full text of such Separation and Distribution Agreement, Tax Matters Agreement, Transition Services Agreement, Employee Matters Agreement, Intellectual Property Agreement and Transitional Trademark License Agreement, respectively, which are attached as Exhibits 2.1, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4 and 10.5, respectively, to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated herein by reference.
Separation and Distribution Agreement
We entered into a Separation and Distribution Agreement with Nuance in advance of the Distribution. The Separation and Distribution Agreement sets forth our agreements with Nuance regarding the principal actions to be taken in connection with the Spin-Off. It also sets forth other agreements that govern aspects of our relationship with Nuance following the Spin-Off.
Transfer of Assets and Assumption of Liabilities
The Separation and Distribution Agreement identifies certain transfers of assets and assumptions of liabilities that were necessary in advance of our separation from Nuance so that we and Nuance retain the assets of, and the liabilities associated with, our respective businesses. The Separation and Distribution Agreement generally provides that the assets comprising our business consist of those primarily related to our current business and operations (except for intellectual property assets, which are allocated to provide us with intellectual property rights with respect to technologies exclusively used by Nuance's automotive business, and those intellectual property rights for which the development, enhancement and maintenance has historically been conducted by Nuance's automotive business). The liabilities we assumed in connection with the Spin-Off generally consist of those related to the past and future operations of our business, including our locations used in our current operations. The Separation and Distribution Agreement also provides for the settlement or extinguishment of certain liabilities and other obligations between us and Nuance.
Reorganization Transactions
The Separation and Distribution Agreement describes certain actions related to our separation from Nuance that occurred prior to the Distribution. As part of the internal restructuring actions taken by us and Nuance, the following transactions occurred: (i) pursuant to a series of internal transfers to certain foreign subsidiaries that are now held under a Netherlands holding company, the non-U.S. assets and operations relating to our business were separated from the other non-U.S. assets and operations of Nuance, and the Netherlands holding company was in turn distributed to Nuance in an internal spin-off, (ii) the U.S. assets and operations of our business was contributed to a new U.S. holding company, (iii) employees relating to our business that were previously employed by Nuance subsidiaries that did not become subsidiaries of Cerence became employees of the appropriate Cerence subsidiaries, (iv) both of the new holding companies were contributed to Cerence, and (v) on the Distribution Date prior to the Distribution, Cerence incurred indebtedness and distributed the proceeds to Nuance.
Intercompany Arrangements
All agreements, arrangements, commitments and understandings, including most intercompany accounts payable or accounts receivable, between us, on the one hand, and Nuance, on the other hand, terminated and/or were repaid effective as of the Distribution Date or shortly thereafter, except specified agreements and arrangements that are intended to survive the Distribution.
Credit Support
We agreed to use reasonable best efforts to arrange, prior to the Distribution, for the replacement of all guarantees, covenants, indemnities, surety bonds, letters of credit or similar assurances of credit support, other than certain specified credit support instruments, currently provided by or through Nuance or any of its subsidiaries for the benefit of us or any of our subsidiaries.
In general, neither we nor Nuance made any representations or warranties regarding any assets or liabilities transferred or assumed, any consents or approvals that may be required in connection with these transfers or assumptions, the value or freedom from any lien or other security interest of any assets transferred, the absence of any defenses relating to any claim of either party or the legal sufficiency of any conveyance documents. Except as expressly set forth in the Separation and Distribution Agreement, all assets have been transferred on an "as-is," "where-is" basis.
Further Assurances
The parties will use reasonable best efforts to effect any transfers contemplated by the Separation and Distribution Agreement that have not been consummated prior to the Distribution as promptly as practicable following the Distribution Date. In addition, the parties will use reasonable best efforts to effect any transfer or re-transfer of any asset or liability that was improperly transferred or retained as promptly as practicable following the Distribution.
The Distribution
The Separation and Distribution Agreement governs Nuance's and our respective rights and obligations regarding the proposed Distribution. Prior to the Distribution, Nuance delivered all of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock held by Nuance to the distribution agent. Following the Distribution Date, the distribution agent will electronically deliver all of the shares of our common stock previously held by Nuance to Nuance stockholders based on the distribution ratio. The Nuance board of directors, in its sole and absolute discretion, determined the record date, the Distribution Date and the terms of the Spin-Off. In addition, Nuance could have, at any time until the Distribution, decided to abandon the Distribution or modify or change the terms of the Distribution.
The Separation and Distribution Agreement also provided that several conditions must be satisfied or, to the extent permitted by law, waived by Nuance, in its sole and absolute discretion, before the Distribution could occur.
We and Nuance agreed to provide each other with information reasonably necessary to comply with reporting, disclosure, filing or other requirements of any national securities exchange or governmental authority, for use in judicial, regulatory, administrative and other proceedings and to satisfy audit, accounting, litigation and other similar requests. We and Nuance also agreed to use reasonable best efforts to retain such information in accordance with our respective record retention policies as in effect on the date of the Separation and Distribution Agreement. Each party also agreed to use its reasonable best efforts to assist the other with its financial reporting and audit obligations.
The Nuance board of directors, in its sole and absolute discretion, could have terminated the Separation and Distribution Agreement at any time prior to the Distribution.
Release of Claims
We and Nuance each agreed to release the other and its affiliates, successors and assigns, and all persons that prior to the Distribution have been the other's stockholders, directors, officers, members, agents and employees, and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, from any claims against any of them that arise out of or relate to events, circumstances or actions occurring or failing to occur or any conditions existing at or prior to the time of the Distribution. These releases are subject to exceptions set forth in the Separation and Distribution Agreement.
We and Nuance will each agree to indemnify the other and each of the other's current, former and future directors, officers and employees, and each of the heirs, administrators, executors, successors and assigns of any of them, against certain liabilities incurred in connection with the Spin-Off and our and Nuance's respective businesses. The amount of either Nuance's or our indemnification obligations will be reduced by any insurance proceeds the party being indemnified receives. The Separation and Distribution Agreement also specifies procedures regarding claims subject to indemnification.
Tax Matters Agreement
We entered into a Tax Matters Agreement with Nuance that governs the respective rights, responsibilities and obligations of Nuance and us after the Distribution with respect to all tax matters (including tax liabilities, tax attributes, tax returns and tax contests).
The Tax Matters Agreement generally provides that we are responsible and will indemnify Nuance for all taxes, including income taxes, sales taxes, VAT and payroll taxes, relating to our business for all periods following the Distribution; and Nuance is responsible and will indemnify us for all taxes relating to our business for all periods preceding the Distribution. In addition, the Tax Matters Agreement addresses the allocation of liability for taxes that were incurred as a result of restructuring activities
undertaken to effectuate the Spin-Off. Nuance has the right to control any audit or contest relating to any taxes with respect to all periods prior to the Distribution, but we have the right to review and comment on Nuance's conduct of any such audit or contest, to the extent that we could be liable for taxes under the Tax Matters Agreement as a result of such audit or contest.
In addition, the Tax Matters Agreement provides that we are required to indemnify Nuance for any taxes (and reasonable expenses) resulting from the failure of the Spin-Off and related internal transactions to qualify for their intended tax treatment under U.S. federal, state and local income tax law, as well as foreign tax law, where such taxes result from (a) breaches of covenants and representations we made and agreed to in connection with the Spin-Off, (b) the application of certain provisions of U.S. federal income tax law to the these transactions or (c) any other action or omission (other than actions expressly required or permitted by the Separation and Distribution Agreement, the Tax Matters Agreement or other ancillary agreements) we take after the Distribution that gives rise to these taxes. Nuance has the exclusive right to control the conduct of any audit or contest relating to these taxes, but we have the right to review and comment on Nuance's conduct of any such audit or contest, to the extent that we could be liable for taxes under the Tax Matters Agreement as a result of such audit or contest.
The Tax Matters Agreement imposes certain restrictions on us and our subsidiaries (including restrictions on share issuances, redemptions or repurchases, business combinations, sales of assets and similar transactions) that are designed to address compliance with Section 355 and related provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and are intended to preserve the tax-free nature of the Spin-Off. Under the Tax Matters Agreement, these restrictions apply for two years following the Distribution, unless we or Nuance obtain a private letter ruling from the IRS or an opinion of counsel, in each case acceptable to Nuance in its reasonable discretion, that the restricted action would not impact the non-recognition treatment of the Spin-Off, or unless Nuance otherwise gives its consent for us to take a restricted action. Even if we do obtain such a private letter ruling or opinion, or Nuance does otherwise consent to our taking an otherwise restricted action, we will remain liable to indemnify Nuance in the event such restricted action gives rise to an otherwise indemnifiable liability. These restrictions may limit our ability to pursue strategic transactions or engage in new businesses or other transactions that may maximize the value of our business, and might discourage or delay a strategic transaction that our stockholders may consider favorable.
Transition Services Agreement
We entered into a Transition Services Agreement pursuant to which Nuance will provide us, and we will provide Nuance, with certain specified services for a limited time to help ensure an orderly transition following the Distribution. For a limited time after the Spin-Off, we may request that additional services in the same functional categories as the specified services be provided by Nuance to us so long as such additional services were provided historically by Nuance to our business. The services are generally intended to be provided for a period no longer than twelve months following the Distribution, with a possibility to extend the term of each service up to an additional twelve months. Each party may terminate the agreement in its entirety in the event of a material breach of the agreement by the other party that is not cured within a specified time period. Each recipient party may also terminate the services on an individual basis upon prior written notice to the party providing the service.
The service recipient is required to pay to the service provider a fee equal to the cost of service specified for each service, which is billed on a monthly basis.
We agreed to indemnify and hold Nuance harmless from any damages to the extent arising out of Nuance's provision of the services unless such damages are the result of Nuance's gross negligence, willful misconduct, breach of the agreement or violation of law in providing services. Additionally, Nuance's liability is generally subject to a cap in the amount of fees actually received by Nuance from us in connection with the provision of the services. We also generally indemnify Nuance for all liabilities to the extent arising out of Nuance's provision of the services unless such liabilities are the result of Nuance's gross negligence, willful misconduct, breach of the agreement or violation of law in providing services, in which case, Nuance indemnifies us for such liabilities. These indemnification and liability terms are customary for agreements of this type.
Given the short-term nature of the Transition Services Agreement, we are in the process of increasing our internal capabilities to eliminate reliance on Nuance for the transition services it will provide us as quickly as possible following the Spin-Off.
Employee Matters Agreement
We entered into an Employee Matters Agreement with Nuance that addresses employment and employee compensation and benefits matters. The Employee Matters Agreement addresses the allocation and treatment of assets and liabilities relating to employees and compensation and benefit plans and programs in which our employees participated prior to the Spin-Off. Except as specifically provided in the Employee Matters Agreement, we are generally responsible for all employment and employee compensation and benefits-related liabilities relating to our employees, former employees and other service providers. In particular, we assumed certain assets and liabilities with respect to our current and former employees under certain of Nuance's U.S. and non-U.S. defined benefit pension plans (with assets and liabilities allocated based on formulas specified in the Employee Matters Agreement for each pension plan). Generally, except as may be provided in the Transition Services Agreement, each of our employees cease active participation in Nuance compensation and benefit plans as of the Spin-Off. The Employee Matters Agreement also provides that we establish certain compensation and benefit plans for the benefit of our employees following the Spin-Off, including a 401(k) savings plan, which accepts direct rollovers of account balances from the Nuance 401(k) savings plan for any of our employees who elect to do so. Generally, following the Spin-Off, we assume and are responsible for any annual bonus payments, including with respect to the year in which the Spin-Off occurs, and any other cash-based incentive or retention awards to our current and former employees. Nuance long-term incentive compensation awards, including stock options and restricted stock units, held by Cerence employees are treated as described in "Executive and Director Compensation—Equity Plan" in Amendment No. 1 to the Company's Registration Statement on Form 10 (File No. 001-39030), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on September 4, 2019 (the "Form 10"). The Employee Matters Agreement incorporates the indemnification provisions contained in the Separation and Distribution Agreement and described above. In addition, the Employee Matters Agreement provides that we indemnify Nuance for certain employee-related liabilities associated with the Transition Services Agreement.
Intellectual Property Agreement
We entered into an Intellectual Property Agreement with Nuance, pursuant to which we granted to Nuance, and Nuance granted to us, perpetual, non-exclusive, royalty-free licenses to certain patents and technology, as well as certain other intellectual property that have historically been shared between us and Nuance. The intellectual property licensed to us under the Intellectual Property Agreement includes patents, software and technologies that have generally been more significant to the business of Nuance, but are used in our business following the Spin-Off, and are technologies in the general areas of automatic speech recognition and natural language understanding.
The patent and technology licenses are generally limited to the respective licensee's defined field of use, and after the fifth anniversary of the Spin-Off, the technology licenses will extend to all fields. The field of use for intellectual property licensed from Nuance to Cerence is generally for the automotive industry and certain ancillary fields, including (i) providing customer service and call center solutions to vehicle manufacturers and transportation service providers and (ii) providing certain internet of things devices for the greater China market (excluding the healthcare and enterprise solutions markets). The field of use for intellectual property licensed from Cerence to Nuance is generally for industries other than the automotive industry. The Intellectual Property Agreement also provides arrangements for each of us and Nuance to utilize certain data used by both us and Nuance. In addition, we agreed not to challenge Nuance's rights in its existing intellectual property rights or act to impair such intellectual property rights, and Nuance agreed not to challenge our rights in our existing intellectual property rights or act to impair such intellectual property rights. The non-exclusive license to us will generally be transferable with any sale or transfer of an entity or line of business of ours that utilizes Nuance's intellectual property, and the license to Nuance will generally be transferable with any sale or transfer of an entity or line of business of Nuance that utilizes our intellectual property.
The Intellectual Property Agreement also contains certain provisions relating to the recordation of the transfers of intellectual property rights set forth in the Separation and Distribution Agreement.
Transitional Trademark License Agreement
We entered into a Transitional Trademark License Agreement with Nuance, pursuant to which Nuance granted us a non-exclusive, royalty free license to continue using certain of Nuance's trademarks, trade names and service marks with respect to the "Nuance" and "Dragon" brands in connection with the sale, marketing and other commercialization of our products and services. The term of the licenses generally do not exceed six months. The Transitional Trademark License Agreement also provides that we use commercially reasonable efforts to cease using the licensed trademarks as soon as reasonably practicable. The license to us is generally transferable with any sale or transfer of an entity or line of business of ours that utilizes Nuance's trademarks.
Senior Credit Facilities
Also in connection with the Spin-Off, on October 1, 2019 (the "Financing Closing Date"), the Company entered into a Credit Agreement, by and among the Company (the "Borrower"), the lenders and issuing banks party thereto and Barclays Bank PLC, as administrative agent (the "Credit Agreement"), which provides for senior secured financing of $345.0 million, consisting of:
a five-year senior secured term loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of $270.0 million (the "Term Loan Facility"); and
a 54-month senior secured first-lien revolving credit facility in an aggregate principal amount of $75.0 million (the "Revolving Facility" and, together with the Term Loan Facilities, the "Senior Credit Facilities").
Up to the equivalent of $15.0 million may be utilized under the Revolving Facility for the issuance of letters of credit to the Borrower or any of its subsidiaries. Letters of credit are available for issuance under the Credit Agreement on terms and conditions customary for financings of this kind, which issuances will reduce availability under the Revolving Facility.
The Borrower borrowed an aggregate amount of $270.0 million under the Term Loan Facility on the Financing Closing Date. The letters of credit and Revolving Facility are available for working capital and other general corporate purposes from time to time after the Financing Closing Date prior to the final maturity of the Revolving Facility. No amounts were drawn under the Revolving Facility at the time of the Spin-Off.
Use of Proceeds
In connection with the consummation of the Spin-Off, the Borrower transferred approximately $153 million of the net proceeds of the Term Loan Facility to Nuance and paid fees and expenses in connection with the transactions, after which Cerence will have approximately $110.0 million left on its balance sheet.
Guarantees and Security
The Borrower's obligations under the Credit Agreement are jointly and severally guaranteed by certain of its direct and indirect wholly owned domestic subsidiaries (the "Guarantors") that entered into a subsidiary guarantee agreement (the "Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement") with Barclays Bank PLC, as administrative agent. The Borrower and the Guarantors also entered into a collateral agreement (the "Collateral Agreement") with Barclays Bank PLC, as collateral agent. Pursuant to the Collateral Agreement, all obligations of the Borrower and the Guarantors are secured by substantially all tangible and intangible personal property and material real property of the Borrower and Guarantors, including a perfected first-priority pledge of all (or, in the case of foreign subsidiaries or subsidiaries ("FSHCO") that own no material assets other than equity interests in foreign subsidiaries that are "controlled foreign corporations" or other FSHCOs, 65%) of the equity securities of each subsidiary of the Borrower held by any loan party, subject to certain customary exceptions and limitations.
The Revolving Facility matures 54 months after the Financing Closing Date, with certain extension rights in the discretion of each lender. The Term Loan Facility matures five years after the Financing Closing Date, with certain extension rights in the discretion of each lender.
Interest Rate and Fees
The Senior Credit Facilities are subject to an interest rate, at the option of the Borrower, of either (a) base rate determined by reference to the highest of (1) the rate of interest last quoted by The Wall Street Journal as the "prime rate" in the United States, (2) the federal funds effective rate, plus 0.5% and (3) the one month adjusted LIBOR rate, plus 1% per annum ("ABR") or (b) an adjusted LIBOR rate ("LIBOR") (which shall not be less than 1% per annum), in each case, plus an applicable margin. The applicable margins for the Senior Credit Facilities are 6.00% per annum (for LIBOR loans) and 5.00% per annum (for ABR loans). Accordingly, the interest rates for the Senior Credit Facilities will fluctuate during the term of the Credit Agreement based on changes in the ABR or LIBOR. Interest payments with respect to the Senior Credit Facilities are required either on a quarterly basis (for ABR loans) or at the end of each interest period (for LIBOR loans) or, if the duration of the applicable interest period exceeds three months, then every three months.
In addition to paying interest on outstanding borrowings under the Revolving Facility, we are required to pay a quarterly commitment fee based on the unused portion of the Revolving Facility.
We are obligated to make quarterly principal payments in an aggregate annual amount equal to 3.5% of the original principal amount of the Term Loan Facility during the first two years of the Term Loan Facility, and 10% of the original principal amount of the Term Loan Facility thereafter, with the balance payable at the maturity date thereof. Such amortization payments may be reduced from time to time in accordance with the terms of the Credit Agreement as a result of the application of loan prepayments made by us, if any, prior to the scheduled date of payment thereof.
The Borrower may voluntarily prepay borrowings under the Credit Agreement without premium or penalty, subject to a 1.00% prepayment premium in connection with any repricing transaction with respect to the Term Loan Facility in the first six months after the effective date of the Credit Agreement and customary "breakage" costs with respect to LIBOR loans. The Borrower may also reduce the commitments under the Revolving Facility, in whole or in part, in each case, subject to certain minimum amounts and increments.
The Credit Agreement also contains certain mandatory prepayment provisions in the event that we incur certain types of indebtedness, receive net cash proceeds from certain non-ordinary course asset sales or other dispositions of property or generate excess cash flow, starting with the fiscal year ending on September 30, 2020, 75% of excess cash flow on an annual basis (with step-downs to 50%, 25% and 0% subject to compliance with certain net first lien leverage ratios), in each case subject to terms and conditions customary for financings of this kind.
The Credit Agreement contains certain representations and warranties (subject to certain agreed qualifications), including, among others, (i) status, binding obligations, non-conflict with other obligations, power and authority, validity and enforceability and ranking, (ii) no insolvency, taxation and no litigation, (iii) financial statements and financial information, (iv) property ownership, (v) investment company status, (vi) security interests, (vii) government approvals, (viii) environmental matters and (ix) compliance with sanctions and anti-corruption laws.
Certain Covenants
The Credit Agreement contains certain affirmative and negative covenants customary for financings of this type that, among other things, limit the Borrower and the Borrower's subsidiaries' ability to incur additional indebtedness or liens, to dispose of assets, to make certain fundamental changes, enter into restrictive agreements, to designate subsidiaries as unrestricted, to make certain investments, loans, advances, guarantees and acquisitions to prepay certain indebtedness and to pay dividends, to make other distributions or redemptions/repurchases, in respect of the Borrower and the Borrower's subsidiaries' equity interests, to engage in transactions with affiliates or to amend certain material documents.
In addition, the Credit Agreement contains a financial covenant requiring the maintenance of a net first lien leverage ratio of not greater than 6.00 to 1.00.
Events of Default
The Credit Agreement contains customary events of default, including with respect to a failure to make payments under the Senior Credit Facilities, cross-default, certain bankruptcy and insolvency events and customary change of control events.
The foregoing descriptions of the Credit Agreement, the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement and the Collateral Agreement do not purport to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the full text of such agreements, which are attached as Exhibits 10.6, 10.7 and 10.8, respectively, to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated herein by reference.
Item 2.03. Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant.
The information set forth under Item 1.01 above is incorporated into this Item 2.03 by reference.
Item 3.02. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities.
In connection with Nuance's series of internal reorganization transactions, pursuant to which, among other transactions, we now hold, directly or through our subsidiaries, Nuance's automotive technology business, on September 29, 2019 we issued 33,269,740 shares of our common stock, and on September 30, 2019 we issued 2,470,969 shares of our common stock, in each case, in a transaction exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, to Nuance, in exchange for the contribution to us by Nuance of certain of its subsidiaries.
Item 3.03. Material Modification to Rights of Security Holders.
The information set forth under Item 5.03 below is incorporated into this Item 3.03 by reference.
Item 5.01. Changes in Control of Registrant.
Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
As previously reported in the Company's Information Statement filed as Exhibit 99.1 to the Form 10 (the "Information Statement"), on or prior to October 1, 2019, the persons set forth in the table below assumed their positions as directors on the Company's Board of Directors (our "Board"). Also on or prior to October 1, 2019, Kristi Ann Matus (Chair), Sanjay Jha and Alfred Nietzel assumed positions as members of the Audit Committee; Sanjay Jha (Chair), Marianne Budnik and Thomas Beaudoin assumed positions as members of the Compensation Committee; and Arun Sarin (Chair), Marianne Budnik and Alfred Nietzel assumed positions as members of the Nominating and Governance Committee. Each director will hold office until a successor is elected and qualified or until the director's death, resignation or removal.
Committee Appointment
Thomas Beaudoin
65 Compensation Committee
Marianne Budnik
50 Compensation Committee and Nominating and Governance Committee
Sanjay Dhawan
57 Audit Committee and Compensation Committee
Kristi Ann Matus
51 Audit Committee
Alfred Nietzel
57 Audit Committee and Nominating and Governance Committee
Arun Sarin
64 Nominating and Governance Committee
As previously reported in the Information Statement, effective on October 1, 2019, the following persons were appointed to the offices of the Company set forth beside each person's name:
55 Chief Executive Officer
Leanne Fitzgerald
54 General Counsel
Mark Gallenberger
55 Chief Financial Officer
Stefan Ortmanns
56 Executive Vice President
Information regarding the background of each other directors and executive officer of the Company is included in the Information Statement under the caption "Management," of which pertinent pages 100 through 102 are included as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and are deemed incorporated herein by reference.
Item 5.03. Amendments to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal Year.
In connection with the Distribution, on September 30, 2019, the Company filed an Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation ("Charter") with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, which became effective on October 1, 2019. The Amended and Restated By-laws of the Company (the "By-Laws") also became effective on October 1, 2019. The Charter and By-Laws were previously approved by our Board and Consolidated Mobile Corporation ("Consolidated Mobile"), a previously wholly owned subsidiary of Nuance, in its capacity as sole stockholder of the Company.
A summary of the material provisions of the Charter and By-Laws can be found in the section titled "Description of Our Capital Stock" of the Information Statement, of which pertinent pages 119 through 123 are included as Exhibit 99.2 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and are deemed incorporated herein by reference. This summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Charter and By-laws, incorporated by reference to Exhibits 3.1 and 3.2 of this Current Report on Form 8-K, and incorporated herein by reference.
Item 8.01. Other Events.
On October 1, 2019, the Company issued a press release announcing the completion of the Spin-Off from Nuance and the beginning of regular-way trading of the Company's common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market. A copy of the press release is filed as Exhibit 99.3 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits
2.1 Separation and Distribution Agreement, dated September 30, 2019, between Nuance Communications, Inc. and Cerence Inc.
3.1 Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation.
3.2 Amended and Restated By-laws.
10.1 Tax Matters Agreement, dated as of September 30, 2019, between Nuance Communications, Inc. and Cerence Inc.
10.2 Transition Services Agreement, dated as of September 30, 2019, between Nuance Communications, Inc. and Cerence Operating Company.
10.3 Employee Matters Agreement, dated as of September 30, 2019, between Nuance Communications, Inc. and Cerence Inc.
10.4 Intellectual Property Agreement, dated as of September 30, 2019, between Nuance Communications, Inc. and Cerence Inc.
10.5 Transitional Trademark License Agreement, dated as of September 30, 2019, between Nuance Communications, Inc. and Cerence Inc.
10.6 Credit Agreement, dated as of October 1, 2019, among Cerence Inc., Barclays Bank PLC, as administrative agent, and the other lenders and financial institutions party thereto.
10.7 Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement, dated as of October 1, 2019, among the subsidiaries of Cerence Inc. named therein and Barclays Bank PLC, as administrative agent.
10.8 Collateral Agreement, dated as of October 1, 2019, among Cerence Inc., the subsidiary loan parties thereto and Barclays Bank PLC, as collateral agent.
99.1 Pertinent pages 100 through 102 from Exhibit 99.1 to the Company's Registration Statement on Form 10, dated and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 4, 2019.
99.3 Press Release dated October 1, 2019, issued by the Company.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, hereunto duly authorized.
Date: October 1, 2019 CERENCE INC.
By: /s/ Leanne Fitzgerald
Name: Leanne Fitzgerald
Title: General Counsel
EX-2.1
by and between
Dated as of September 30, 2019
ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS
Section 1.01
ARTICLE II THE SEPARATION
Certain Matters Governed Exclusively by Ancillary Agreements
Termination of Agreements
Real Estate Separation Documents
Shared Contracts
Disclaimer of Representations and Warranties
Waiver of Bulk-Sale and Bulk-Transfer Laws
Cash Adjustment
ARTICLE III CREDIT SUPPORT
Replacement of Nuance Credit Support
Replacement of SpinCo Credit Support
Manner of Indemnification
ARTICLE IV ACTIONS PENDING THE DISTRIBUTION
Actions Prior to the Distribution
Conditions Precedent to Consummation of the Distribution
ARTICLE V THE DISTRIBUTION
Sole Discretion of Nuance
ARTICLE VI MUTUAL RELEASES; INDEMNIFICATION
Release of Pre-Distribution Claims
Indemnification by SpinCo
Indemnification by Nuance
Indemnification Obligations Net of Insurance Proceeds and Third-Party Proceeds
Procedures for Indemnification of Third-Party Claims
Additional Matters
Remedies Cumulative
Covenant Not to Sue
Survival of Indemnities
Management of Existing Actions
ARTICLE VII ACCESS TO INFORMATION; PRIVILEGE; CONFIDENTIALITY
Agreement for Exchange of Information; Archives
Ownership of Information
Compensation for Providing Information
Accounting Information
Production of Witnesses; Records; Cooperation
Privileged Matters
Conflicts Waiver
ARTICLE VIII INSURANCE
Maintenance of Insurance
Claims Under Nuance Insurance Policies
Claims Under SpinCo Insurance Policies
Insurance Proceeds
Claims Not Reimbursed
D&O Policies
Insurance Cooperation
ARTICLE IX FURTHER ASSURANCES AND ADDITIONAL COVENANTS
Non-Solicit
ARTICLE X TERMINATION
Effect of Termination
ARTICLE XI MISCELLANEOUS
Counterparts; Entire Agreement; Corporate Power
Governing Law; Jurisdiction
Waiver of Jury Trial
Court-Ordered Interim Relief
Specific Performance
Assignability
Third-Party Beneficiaries
Survival of Covenants
Waivers of Default
Schedule I - Separation Step Plan
Schedule II - Nuance Retained Assets
Schedule III - Nuance Retained Liabilities
Schedule IV - SpinCo Equity Interests
Schedule V - SpinCo Assets
Schedule VI - SpinCo Liabilities
Schedule VII - SpinCo Real Property
Schedule VIII - Shared Contracts
Schedule IX - SpinCo Accounts
Schedule X - Nuance Accounts
Schedule XI - Cash Adjustment
Schedule XII - Real Estate Separation Documents
Schedule XIII - Surviving Intercompany Agreements and Intercompany Accounts
Schedule XIV - Surviving Nuance Credit Support Instruments
Schedule XV - Surviving SpinCo Credit Support Instruments
Schedule XVI - Mixed Actions
Schedule XVII - SpinCo-Managed Actions
Schedule XVIII - Nuance-Managed Actions
Schedule XIX - Jointly Managed Actions
Schedule XX - Treatment of Expected Surviving Guarantees
Schedule XXI - Forgiven Intercompany Balances
Schedule XXII - Local Transfer Agreements
Schedule XXIII - Insurance Proceeds
Schedule XXIV - Expenses
SEPARATION AND DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT, dated as of September 30, 2019, by and between Nuance Communications, Inc., a Delaware corporation ("Nuance"), and Cerence Inc., a Delaware corporation ("SpinCo"). Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the respective meanings assigned to them in Article I.
R E C I T A L S
WHEREAS, the board of directors of Nuance has determined that it is in the best interests of Nuance and its stockholders to create a new publicly traded company that will operate the SpinCo Business (as defined below);
WHEREAS, in furtherance of the foregoing, the board of directors of Nuance has determined that it is appropriate and desirable to effect the Separation Transactions (as defined below);
WHEREAS, pursuant to the Separation Step Plan (as defined below) and the terms of this Agreement (as defined below), among other things (i) Nuance will contribute, convey, sell and otherwise transfer (and cause its Subsidiaries to contribute, convey, sell and otherwise transfer) the SpinCo Assets (as defined below) to SpinCo and the other members of the SpinCo Group (as defined below) in exchange for (a) the assumption by one or more members of the SpinCo Group of the SpinCo Liabilities (as defined below) and (b) the issuance by SpinCo to Nuance of SpinCo Common Stock (as defined below) (the "Contribution") and (ii) Nuance will make the Distribution (as defined below);
WHEREAS, SpinCo has been incorporated solely for these purposes and has not engaged in activities except in preparation for the Spin-Off (as defined below);
WHEREAS, Nuance and SpinCo have prepared, and SpinCo has filed with the Commission (as defined below), the Form 10 (as defined below), which includes the Information Statement (as defined below) and sets forth appropriate disclosure concerning SpinCo and the Distribution;
WHEREAS, Nuance and SpinCo intend (i) that the Separation Transactions qualify for the applicable intended tax treatment set forth in the Tax Opinions/Rulings (as defined below) (or if not so described in the Tax Opinions/Rulings, in the Separation Step Plan (as defined below)), (ii) that the Spin-Off qualify for Tax-Free Status (as defined below) and (iii) for this Agreement to constitute a plan of reorganization within the meaning of Sections 1.368-1(c) and 1.368-2(g) of the Treasury Regulations (as defined below) with respect to the applicable steps referred to in clause (i) and the Spin-Off referred to in clause (ii); and
WHEREAS, it is appropriate and desirable to set forth the principal corporate transactions required to effect the Spin-Off and certain other agreements that will govern certain matters relating to the Spin-Off and the relationship of Nuance, SpinCo and their respective Subsidiaries following the Distribution.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements, provisions and covenants contained in this Agreement, the Parties (as defined below), intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows:
Section 1.01 Definitions. For the purposes of this Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
"Action" means any claim, complaint, petition, hearing, charge, demand, action, suit, countersuit, arbitration, inquiry, proceeding or investigation by or before any Governmental Authority or any federal, state, local, foreign or international arbitration or mediation tribunal.
"Adversarial Action" means (i) an Action by a member of the Nuance Group, on the one hand, against a member of the SpinCo Group, on the other hand, or (ii) an Action by a member of the SpinCo Group, on the one hand, against a member of the Nuance Group, on the other hand.
"Affiliate" of any Person means a Person that controls, is controlled by or is under common control with such Person. As used herein, "control" of any entity means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of such entity, whether through ownership of voting securities or other interests, by Contract or otherwise; provided, however, that (i) SpinCo and the other members of the SpinCo Group shall not be considered Affiliates of Nuance or any of the other members of the Nuance Group and (ii) Nuance and the other members of the Nuance Group shall not be considered Affiliates of SpinCo or any of the other members of the SpinCo Group.
"Agent" means the distribution agent appointed by Nuance to distribute to the Record Holders, pursuant to the Distribution, the shares of SpinCo Common Stock held by Nuance.
"Agreement" means this Separation and Distribution Agreement, including the Schedules hereto.
"Ancillary Agreements" means the TMA, the EMA, the IPA, the Trademark License Agreement and the TSA and any other instruments, assignments, documents and agreements executed in connection with the implementation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
"Assets" means all assets, properties and rights of every kind and nature (including goodwill), wherever located (including in the possession of vendors or other third parties or elsewhere), whether real, personal or mixed, tangible or intangible, or accrued or contingent, in each case whether or not recorded or reflected or required to be recorded or reflected on the books and records or financial statements of any Person, including the following:
(a) all accounting and other books, records and files, whether in paper, microfilm, microfiche, computer tape or disc, magnetic tape, electronic recording or any other form;
(b) all apparatus, computers and other electronic data processing equipment, fixtures, machinery, furniture, office and other equipment, including hardware systems, circuits and other computer and telecommunication assets and equipment, automobiles, trucks, aircraft, rolling stock, vessels, motor vehicles and other transportation equipment, special and general tools, test devices, prototypes and models and other tangible personal property;
(c) all inventories of materials, parts, raw materials, supplies, work-in-process and finished goods and products;
(d) all interests in real property of whatever nature, including buildings, land, structures, improvements and fixtures thereon, and all easements and rights-of-way appurtenant thereto, and all leasehold interests, whether as owner, mortgagee or holder of a Security Interest in real property, lessor, sublessor, lessee, sublessee or otherwise;
(e) all interests in any capital stock or other equity interests of any Subsidiary or any other Person; all bonds, notes, debentures or other securities issued by any Subsidiary or any other Person; all loans, advances or other extensions of credit or capital contributions to any Subsidiary or any other Person; all other investments in securities of any Person; and all rights as a partner, joint venturer or participant;
(f) all license agreements, leases of personal property, open purchase orders for raw materials, supplies, parts or services, unfilled orders for the manufacture and sale of products and other Contracts and all rights arising thereunder;
(g) all deposits, letters of credit, performance bonds and other surety bonds;
(h) all written technical information, data, specifications, research and development information, engineering drawings, operating and maintenance manuals and materials and analyses prepared by consultants and other third parties;
(i) all Intellectual Property Rights, and attorney opinions or reports related thereto concerning freedom-to-practice, technology due diligence and technology landscapes (whether held internally or by external counsel);
(j) all Contracts pursuant to which any license, option or similar right relating to Intellectual Property Rights has been granted or the use of Intellectual Property Rights is materially restricted (excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, contracts terminated pursuant to the terms of this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement);
(k) all websites, databases, content, text, graphics, images, audio, video, data and other copyrightable works or other works of authorship including all translations, adaptations, derivations and combinations thereof, in each case to the extent not included in clause (i) of this definition;
(l) all cost information, sales and pricing data, customer prospect lists, supplier records, customer and supplier lists, subscriber, customer and vendor data, correspondence and lists, product literature and other advertising and promotional materials, artwork, design, development and manufacturing files, vendor and customer drawings, formulations and
specifications, server and traffic logs, quality records and reports and other books, records, studies, surveys, reports, plans, business records and documents, in each case to the extent not included in clause (i) of this definition;
(m) all prepaid expenses, trade accounts and other accounts and notes receivable (whether current or non-current);
(n) all claims or rights against any Person arising from the ownership of any other Asset, all rights in connection with any bids or offers, all Actions, judgments or similar rights, all rights under express or implied warranties, all rights of recovery and all rights of setoff of any kind and demands of any nature, in each case whether accrued or contingent, whether in tort, contract or otherwise and whether arising by way of counterclaim or otherwise;
(o) all rights under insurance policies and all rights in the nature of insurance, indemnification or contribution;
(p) all licenses (including radio and similar licenses), permits, consents, approvals and authorizations that have been issued by any Governmental Authority and all pending applications therefor;
(q) cash, bank accounts, lockboxes and other deposit arrangements;
(r) interest rate, currency, commodity or other swap, collar, cap or other hedging or similar agreements or arrangements; and
(s) all goodwill as a going concern and other intangible properties.
"Cash" means cash, cash equivalents, bank deposits and marketable securities, whether denominated in United States dollars or otherwise.
"Cash Management Arrangements" means all cash management arrangements pursuant to which Nuance or its Subsidiaries automatically or manually sweep cash from, or automatically or manually transfer cash to, accounts of SpinCo or any member of the SpinCo Group.
"Commission" means the Securities and Exchange Commission.
"Consents" means any consents, waivers, authorizations, ratifications, permissions, exemptions or approvals from, or notification requirements to, any Person other than a member of either Group.
"Contract" means any oral or written contract, agreement or other legally binding instrument, including any note, bond, mortgage, deed, indenture, commitment, undertaking, promise, lease, sublease, license or sublicense or joint venture.
"Contribution" has the meaning set forth in the recitals.
"Credit Support Instruments" has the meaning set forth in Section 3.01(a).
"D&O Policies" has the meaning set forth in Section 8.06.
"Dispute" has the meaning set forth in Section 11.02.
"Distribution" means the distribution by Nuance to the Record Holders, on a pro rata basis, of all of the outstanding shares of SpinCo Common Stock held by Nuance.
"Distribution Date" means the date, determined by Nuance in accordance with Section 5.03, on which the Distribution occurs.
"EMA" means the Employee Matters Agreement dated as of the date of this Agreement by and between Nuance and SpinCo.
"Exchange" means the NASDAQ Global Select Market.
"Exchange Act" means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, together with the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
"Expected Surviving Guarantees" has the meaning set forth on Schedule XX.
"Final Determination" has the meaning set forth in the TMA.
"First Post-Distribution Report" has the meaning set forth in Section 11.11.
"Form 10" means the registration statement on Form 10 filed by SpinCo with the Commission to effect the registration of SpinCo Common Stock pursuant to the Exchange Act in connection with the Distribution, as such registration statement may be amended or supplemented from time to time.
"Former Business" means any terminated, divested or discontinued businesses, operations or properties of either the Nuance Group, the SpinCo Group, any of their respective members or any of their respective predecessors, in each case, prior to the Distribution.
"Governmental Approvals" means any notices, reports or other filings to be given to or made with, or any Consents, registrations or permits to be obtained from, any Governmental Authority.
"Governmental Authority" means any federal, state, local, foreign, international or multinational court, government, quasi-government, department, commission, board, bureau, agency, official or other legislative, judicial, tribunal, commission, regulatory, administrative or governmental authority.
"Group" means either the Nuance Group or the SpinCo Group, or both, as the context requires.
"Hazardous Materials" means (i) any natural or artificial substance (whether solid, liquid, gas or other form of matter) that could cause harm to human health or the environment, including petroleum, petroleum products and byproducts, asbestos-containing materials,
perfluoroalkyl substances, urea formaldehyde foam insulation, carcinogens, endocrine disrupters, lead-based paint, electronic, polychlorinated biphenyls, radon gas, radioactive substances, greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting substances and (ii) any other chemical, material, substance or waste that could result in Liability under, or that is prohibited, limited or regulated by or pursuant to, any HSE Law.
"HSE Law" means any Law or Governmental Approvals, or any standard used by a Governmental Authority pursuant to any Law or Governmental Approvals, relating to (i) pollution, or protection of the environment, natural resources or human health and safety, (ii) the transportation, treatment, storage or Release of, or exposure to, hazardous or toxic materials or (iii) the registration, manufacturing, sale, labeling or distribution of hazardous or toxic materials or products containing such materials.
"HSE Liabilities" means all Liabilities relating to Hazardous Materials or relating to, arising out of or resulting from any applicable HSE Law or Governmental Approvals required or issued thereunder (including in either case any such Liability for corrective actions, removal, remediation or cleanup costs, investigation, monitoring or sampling obligations or costs, response costs, financial assurance obligations or costs, natural resources damages, medical and other costs related to personal injuries, property damage, costs, fines, penalties or other sanctions).
"Indemnifying Party" has the meaning set forth in Section 6.04(a).
"Indemnitee" has the meaning set forth in Section 6.04(a).
"Indemnity Payment" has the meaning set forth in Section 6.04(a).
"Information" means information, whether or not patentable, copyrightable or protectable as a trade secret, in written, oral, electronic or other tangible or intangible forms, stored in any medium now known or yet to be created, including studies, reports, records, books, Contracts, instruments, surveys, analyses, discoveries, ideas, concepts, know-how, techniques, designs, specifications, drawings, blueprints, diagrams, models, prototypes, samples, flow charts, data, computer data, disks, diskettes, tapes, computer programs or other software, marketing plans, customer names, communications (including those by or to attorneys (whether or not subject to the attorney-client privilege)), memos and other materials (including those prepared by attorneys or under their direction (whether or not constituting attorney work product)) and other technical, financial, employee or business information or data, documents, correspondence, materials and files, in each case excluding any Intellectual Property Rights therein.
"Information Statement" means the Information Statement sent to the holders of Nuance Common Stock in connection with the Distribution, as such Information Statement may be amended from time to time.
"Insurance Proceeds" means those monies:
(a) received by an insured (or its successor-in-interest) from an insurance carrier;
(b) paid by an insurance carrier on behalf of the insured (or its successor-in-interest); or
(c) received (including by way of setoff) from any third party in the nature of insurance, contribution or indemnification in respect of any Liability;
in any such case net of (x) any applicable premium adjustments (including reserves and retrospectively rated premium adjustments), (y) any costs or expenses incurred in the collection thereof and (z) any Taxes resulting from the receipt thereof.
"Intellectual Property Rights" has the meaning set forth in the IPA.
"Intercompany Accounts" has the meaning set forth in Section 2.03(a).
"Intercompany Agreements" has the meaning set forth in Section 2.03(a).
"Intercompany Leases" means the real property leases by and between (i) a member of the Nuance Group, as lessor, and a member of the SpinCo Group, as lessee, or (ii) a member of the SpinCo Group, as lessor, and a member of the Nuance Group, as lessee, in each case, as set forth on Schedule XII under the caption "Leases."
"Intercompany Real Estate Licenses" means the real property licenses by and between a member of the Nuance Group and a member of the SpinCo Group as set forth on Schedule XII under the caption "Real Estate Licenses."
"Intercompany Subleases" means the real property subleases (i) by and between a member of the Nuance Group, as sublessor, and a member of the SpinCo Group, as sublessee, and (ii) by and between a member of the SpinCo Group, as sublessor, and a member of the Nuance Group, as sublessee (if any), in each case as set forth on Schedule XII under the caption "Subleases."
"IPA" means the Intellectual Property Agreement dated as of the date of this Agreement by and between Nuance and SpinCo.
"Joint Actions" has the meaning set forth in Section 6.11(c).
"Known Counsel" has the meaning set forth in Section 7.10.
"Law" means any statute, law, regulation, ordinance, rule, judgment, rule of common law, order, decree, Governmental Approval, concession, grant, franchise, license, agreement, directive, guideline, policy, requirement or other governmental restriction or any similar form of decision of, or determination by, or any interpretation or administration of any of the foregoing by, any Governmental Authority, whether now or hereinafter in effect and, in each case, as amended.
"Lease Assignments" means the assignments of real property leases and subleases by and between a member of the Nuance Group, as assignor, and a member of the SpinCo Group, as assignee, in each case as set forth on Schedule XII under the caption "Lease Assignments."
"Liabilities" means any and all claims, debts, demands, actions, causes of action, suits, damages, fines, penalties, obligations, prohibitions, accruals, accounts payable, reckonings, bonds, indemnities and similar obligations, agreements, promises, guarantees, make-whole agreements and similar obligations, and other liabilities and requirements, including all contractual obligations, whether absolute or contingent, matured or unmatured, liquidated or unliquidated, accrued or unaccrued, known or unknown, whenever arising, and including those arising under any Law, Action, threatened or contemplated Action or any award of any arbitrator or mediator of any kind, and those arising under any Contract, including those arising under this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement, in each case, whether or not recorded or reflected or required to be recorded or reflected on the books and records or financial statements of any Person. For the avoidance of doubt, Liabilities shall include attorneys' fees, the costs and expenses of all assessments, judgments, settlements and compromises, and any and all other costs and expenses whatsoever reasonably incurred in connection with anything contemplated by the preceding sentence (including costs and expenses incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any such Actions or threatened or contemplated Actions).
"Local Transfer Agreement" means any agreement set forth on Schedule XXII.
"Managing Party" has the meaning set forth in Section 6.11(e).
"Mixed Action" means (x) any Action identified on Schedule XVI or (y) any other Action in respect of which an Indemnifying Party may be obligated to provide indemnification pursuant to this Agreement that involves both Nuance Assets or Nuance Liabilities, on the one hand, and SpinCo Assets or SpinCo Liabilities, on the other hand.
"Nuance" has the meaning set forth in the preamble.
"Nuance Account" means any bank, brokerage or similar account owned by Nuance or any other member of the Nuance Group, including the Nuance Accounts listed or described on Schedule X.
"Nuance Assets" means (a) all Assets of the Nuance Group (other than Intellectual Property Rights), (b) the Nuance Retained Assets, (c) any Assets held by a member of the SpinCo Group that are determined by Nuance, in good faith, to be primarily related to or used primarily in connection with the business or operations of the Nuance Business (unless otherwise expressly provided in connection with this Agreement), (d) all interests in the capital stock of, or other equity interests in, the members of the Nuance Group (other than Nuance), (e) the rights related to the Nuance Portion of any Shared Contract and (f) the Nuance IP. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Nuance Assets shall not include the SpinCo Assets.
"Nuance Business" means the businesses and operations as currently or formerly conducted by Nuance and its predecessors and its Subsidiaries other than the SpinCo Business.
"Nuance Common Stock" means the common stock, $0.001 par value per share, of Nuance.
"Nuance Credit Support Instruments" has the meaning set forth in Section 3.01(a).
"Nuance Disclosure Sections" means all information set forth in or omitted from the Form 10 or Information Statement to the extent relating to (a) the Nuance Group, (b) the Nuance Liabilities, (c) the Nuance Assets or (d) the substantive disclosure set forth in the Form 10 relating to Nuance's board of directors' consideration of the Spin-Off, including the section entitled "Reasons for the Spin-Off."
"Nuance Group" means Nuance and each of its Subsidiaries, but excluding any member of the SpinCo Group.
"Nuance HSE Liabilities" means any HSE Liability, whether occurring or arising prior to, on or after the Distribution Date, to the extent (a) relating to, arising out of or resulting from (i) any compliance or non-compliance with any HSE Law in connection with the operation of the Nuance Business or any Nuance Asset, (ii) any Release of any Hazardous Material at, on, under, from or to any real property constituting a Nuance Asset, (iii) any Release, transportation, storage, disposal, treatment or recycling (or arrangement for such activities) of Hazardous Material in connection with the operation of the Nuance Business or (iv) any alleged personal or property exposure to Hazardous Materials (including those contained in any products currently or formerly manufactured, sold, distributed or marketed) in connection with clauses (i) through (iii) or the operation of the Nuance Business or any Nuance Asset or (b) otherwise relating to, arising out of or resulting from the Nuance Business or Nuance Asset.
"Nuance Indemnitees" has the meaning set forth in Section 6.02.
"Nuance IP" has the meaning set forth in the IPA.
"Nuance Liabilities" means, without duplication, the following Liabilities:
(a) all Liabilities of the Nuance Group;
(b) all Liabilities to the extent relating to, arising out of or resulting from:
(i) the operation or conduct of the Nuance Business as conducted at any time prior to the Distribution (including any Liability to the extent relating to, arising out of or resulting from any act or failure to act by any director, officer, employee, agent or representative (whether or not such act or failure to act is or was within such Person's authority), which act or failure to act relates to the Nuance Business);
(ii) the operation or conduct of the Nuance Business or any other business conducted by Nuance or any other member of the Nuance Group at any time after the Distribution (including any Liability relating to, arising out of or resulting from any act or failure to act by any director, officer, employee, agent or representative (whether or not such act or failure to act is or was within such Person's authority)); or
(iii) the Nuance Assets;
(c) the Nuance Retained Liabilities;
(d) all Nuance HSE Liabilities;
(e) any obligations related to the Nuance Portion of any Shared Contract;
(f) any Liabilities that are determined by Nuance, in good faith prior to the Distribution, to be primarily related to the business or operations of the Nuance Business (unless otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement); and
(g) all Liabilities to the extent relating to, arising out of or resulting from any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, with respect to the Nuance Disclosure Sections.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Nuance Liabilities shall not include the SpinCo Liabilities.
"Nuance Policy Pre-Separation Insurance Claim" means any (a) claim made against the SpinCo Group or Nuance Group and reported to the applicable insurer(s) prior to the Distribution Date in respect of an act or omission occurring prior to the Distribution Date that results in a Liability under a "claims-made-based" insurance policy of the Nuance Group in effect prior to the Distribution Date or any extended reporting period thereof or (b) Action (whether made prior to, on or following the Distribution Date) in respect of a Liability occurring prior to the Distribution Date under an "occurrence-based" insurance policy of any member of the Nuance Group in effect prior to the Distribution Date.
"Nuance Portion" has the meaning set forth in Section 2.05(a).
"Nuance Retained Assets" means the Assets to be retained by the Nuance Group set forth on Schedule II.
"Nuance Retained Liabilities" means the Liabilities to be retained by the Nuance Group set forth on Schedule III.
"Non-Managing Party" has the meaning set forth in Section 6.11(e).
"Occupant" means an individual transported (or to be transported) in a Vehicle, whether as operator (driver, pilot or other operator) or passenger, in the individual's capacity as operator or passenger.
"Party" means either party hereto, and "Parties" means both parties hereto.
"Person" means an individual, a general or limited partnership, a corporation, an association, a trust, a joint venture, an unincorporated organization, a limited liability company, any other entity and any Governmental Authority.
"Real Estate Separation Documents" means the Intercompany Leases, the Intercompany Subleases, the Intercompany Real Estate Licenses and the Lease Assignments.
"Record Date" means the close of business on the date determined by the Nuance board of directors as the record date for determining the shares of Nuance Common Stock in respect of which shares of SpinCo Common Stock will be distributed pursuant to the Distribution.
"Record Holders" has the meaning set forth in Section 5.01(b).
"Release" means any actual or threatened release, spill, emission, discharge, flow, leaking, pumping, pouring, dumping, injection, deposit, disposal, dispersal, leaching or migration into or through the indoor or outdoor environment.
"Representation Letter" has the meaning set forth in the TMA.
"Representative" has the meaning set forth in Section 7.09(a).
"Security Interest" means any mortgage, security interest, pledge, lien, charge, claim, option, right to acquire, voting or other restriction, right-of-way, covenant, condition, easement, encroachment, restriction on transfer or other encumbrance of any nature whatsoever.
"Separation Step Plan" means the global step plan setting forth the specific transactions undertaken in anticipation and furtherance of the Spin-Off, attached as Schedule I hereto, as subsequently adjusted or revised by the Parties (including to set forth the intended tax treatment of relevant transactions).
"Separation Transactions" means the Contribution, the Distribution and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Separation Step Plan.
"Shared Contract" means any Contract of any member of either Group with a third party that relates in any material respect to both the SpinCo Business and the Nuance Business, in each case that is set forth on Schedule VIII.
"Spin-Off" means the Contribution and the Distribution, taken together.
"SpinCo" has the meaning set forth in the preamble.
"SpinCo Account" means any bank, brokerage or similar account owned by SpinCo or any other member of the SpinCo Group, including the SpinCo Accounts listed or described on Schedule IX.
"SpinCo Assets" means, without duplication, the following Assets:
(a) all Assets held by the SpinCo Group (other than Intellectual Property Rights);
(b) all interests in the capital stock of, or other equity interests in, the members of the SpinCo Group (other than SpinCo) and all other equity, partnership, membership, joint
venture and similar interests set forth on Schedule IV under the caption "Joint Ventures and Minority Investments";
(c) all Assets reflected on the SpinCo Business Balance Sheet, and all Assets acquired after the date of the SpinCo Business Balance Sheet that, had they been acquired on or before such date and owned as of such date, would have been reflected on the SpinCo Business Balance Sheet if prepared in accordance with GAAP applied on a consistent basis, subject to any dispositions of such Assets subsequent to the date of the SpinCo Business Balance Sheet;
(d) the Assets listed or described on Schedule V;
(e) the rights related to the SpinCo Portion of any Shared Contract;
(f) the SpinCo Real Property;
(g) the SpinCo IP;
(h) all other Assets that are expressly provided by this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement as Assets to be assigned to or retained by, or allocated to, any member of the SpinCo Group; and
(i) all Assets held by a member of the Nuance Group that are determined by Nuance, in good faith prior to the Distribution, to be primarily related to or used or held for use primarily in connection with the business or operations of the SpinCo Business (unless otherwise expressly provided in connection with this Agreement).
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the SpinCo Assets shall not include (i) any Nuance Retained Assets or (ii) any Assets that are determined by Nuance, in good faith prior to the Distribution, to arise primarily from the business or operations of the Nuance Business (unless otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement).
"SpinCo Business" means the business of providing to SpinCo Customers: (1) hardware, software solutions or connected services (or combinations thereof) in support of, in each case, conversational and cognitive artificial intelligence that facilitates interactions by Occupants with or through Vehicles or Vehicle Specific Equipment and sold by the SpinCo Group primarily for use in or with Vehicles or Vehicle Specific Equipment (collectively, the "SpinCo Technology"), and (2) related software solutions or connected services (or combinations thereof) marketed and sold by the SpinCo Group primarily for use with the SpinCo Technology, as conducted by Nuance and its Affiliates prior to the Distribution, including as described in the Information Statement; provided that the SpinCo Business shall not include any Former Business.
"SpinCo Business Balance Sheet" means the balance sheet of the SpinCo Business, including the notes thereto, as of June 30, 2019, included in the Information Statement.
"SpinCo Common Stock" means the common stock, $0.01 par value per share, of SpinCo.
"SpinCo Credit Support Instruments" has the meaning set forth in Section 3.02(a).
"SpinCo Customers" means any Person whose primary business is the manufacture and sale of Vehicles, Vehicle Specific Equipment or Transportation Service Providers.
"SpinCo Entities" means the entities, the equity, partnership, membership, limited liability, joint venture or similar interests of which are set forth on Schedule IV under the caption "Joint Ventures and Minority Investments."
"SpinCo Group" means (a) SpinCo, (b) each Person that will be a Subsidiary of SpinCo immediately prior to the Distribution, including the entities set forth on Schedule IV under the caption "Subsidiaries" and (c) each Person that becomes a Subsidiary of SpinCo after the Distribution, including in each case any Person that is merged or consolidated with or into SpinCo or any Subsidiary of SpinCo.
"SpinCo HSE Liabilities" means any HSE Liability, whether occurring or arising prior to, on or after the Distribution Date, (x) of the SpinCo Group or (y) to the extent (a) relating to, arising out of or resulting from (i) any compliance or non-compliance with any HSE Law in connection with the operation of the SpinCo Business or any SpinCo Real Property, (ii) any Release of any Hazardous Material at, on, under, from or to any SpinCo Real Properties, (iii) any Release, transportation, storage, disposal, treatment or recycling (or arrangement for such activities) of Hazardous Material in connection with the operation of the SpinCo Business or (iv) any exposure to Hazardous Materials with respect to clauses (i) through (iii) or otherwise in connection with the SpinCo Business or any SpinCo Asset or (b) otherwise relating to, arising out of or resulting from the SpinCo Business or any SpinCo Asset.
"SpinCo Indemnitees" has the meaning set forth in Section 6.03.
"SpinCo IP" has the meaning set forth in the IPA.
"SpinCo Liabilities" means, without duplication, the following Liabilities:
(a) all Liabilities of the SpinCo Group and the SpinCo Entities;
(i) the operation or conduct of the SpinCo Business as conducted at any time prior to the Distribution (including any Liability to the extent relating to, arising out of or resulting from any act or failure to act by any director, officer, employee, agent or representative (whether or not such act or failure to act is or was within such Person's authority), which act or failure to act relates to the SpinCo Business);
(ii) the operation or conduct of the SpinCo Business or any other business conducted by SpinCo or any other member of the SpinCo Group at any time after the Distribution (including any Liability relating to, arising out of or resulting from any act or failure to act by any director, officer, employee, agent or representative (whether or not such act or failure to act is or was within such Person's authority)); or
(iii) the SpinCo Assets;
(c) all Liabilities reflected as liabilities or obligations on the SpinCo Business Balance Sheet, and all Liabilities arising or assumed after the date of the SpinCo Business Balance Sheet that, had they arisen or been assumed on or before such date and been existing obligations
as of such date, would have been reflected on the SpinCo Business Balance Sheet if prepared in accordance with GAAP applied on a consistent basis, subject to any discharge of such Liabilities subsequent to the date of the SpinCo Business Balance Sheet;
(d) all SpinCo HSE Liabilities;
(e) the Liabilities listed or described on Schedule VI;
(f) the obligations related to the SpinCo Portion of any Shared Contract;
(g) all other Liabilities that are expressly provided by this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement as Liabilities to be assumed or retained by, or allocated to, any member of the SpinCo Group; and
(h) all Liabilities to the extent relating to, arising out of or resulting from any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, with respect to all information contained in, or incorporated by reference into, the Form 10 and any other documents filed with the Commission in connection with the Spin-Off or as contemplated by this Agreement, other than with respect to the Nuance Disclosure Sections.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the SpinCo Liabilities shall not include (i) any Nuance Retained Liabilities or (ii) any Liabilities that are determined by Nuance, in good faith prior to the Distribution, to be primarily related to the business or operations of the Nuance Business (unless otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement).
"SpinCo Policy Pre-Separation Insurance Claim" means any (a) claim made against the SpinCo Group or Nuance Group and reported to the applicable insurer(s) prior to the Distribution Date in respect of an act or omission occurring prior to the Distribution Date that results in a Liability under a "claims-made-based" insurance policy of the SpinCo Group in effect prior to the Distribution Date or any extended reporting period thereof or (b) Action (whether made prior to, on or following the Distribution Date) in respect of a Liability occurring prior to the Distribution Date under an "occurrence-based" insurance policy of any member of the SpinCo Group in effect prior to the Distribution Date.
"SpinCo Portion" has the meaning set forth in Section 2.05(a).
"SpinCo Real Property" means the real property and real property interests identified on Schedule VII, and any fixtures or appurtenances associated therewith.
"Subsidiary" of any Person means any corporation or other organization, whether incorporated or unincorporated, of which at least a majority of the securities or interests having by the terms thereof ordinary voting power to elect at least a majority of the board of directors or others performing similar functions with respect to such corporation or other organization, is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by such Person or by any one or more of its Subsidiaries, or by such Person and one or more of its Subsidiaries.
"Surviving Nuance Credit Support Instruments" has the meaning set forth in Section 3.01(a).
"Surviving SpinCo Credit Support Instruments" has the meaning set forth in Section 3.02(a).
"Tax" or "Taxes" has the meaning set forth in the TMA.
"Tax-Free Status" has the meaning set forth in the TMA.
"Tax Opinions/Rulings" has the meaning set forth in the TMA.
"Third-Party Claim" means any written assertion by a Person (including any Governmental Authority) who is not a member of the Nuance Group or the SpinCo Group of any claim, or the commencement by any such Person, of any Action, against any member of the Nuance Group or the SpinCo Group.
"Third-Party Proceeds" has the meaning set forth in Section 6.04(a).
"TMA" means the Tax Matters Agreement dated as of the date of this Agreement by and between Nuance and SpinCo.
"Trademark License Agreement" means the Transitional Trademark License Agreement dated as of the date of this Agreement between Nuance and SpinCo.
"Transportation Service Provider" means any Person whose primary business is (i) the provision of transportation to or for occupants in Vehicles, (ii) the provision of hardware, software or connected services (or combinations thereof) to enable Occupants to access and use software or connected services for or within a Vehicle or (iii) the provision of Vehicles used for the transportation of Occupants.
"Treasury Regulations" has the meaning set forth in the TMA.
"TSA" means the Transition Services Agreement dated as of the date of this Agreement between Nuance and SpinCo.
"Vehicle" means automobiles, trucks (including semi-trucks), boats, water craft, motorcycles, aircraft and vehicles that run on tracks or air bearings (i.e., vactrains and hyperloops), together with any vehicles that are enhanced versions or natural evolutions of any of the foregoing.
"Vehicle Specific Equipment" means equipment marketed or sold primarily for use with, or embedded or installed in or on, a Vehicle, including smart mirrors, personal navigation devices and motorcycle helmets; provided, however, that Vehicle Specific Equipment excludes mobile phones, general purpose mobile devices and general purpose Internet-connected physical device, including Internet-connected speakers, thermostats, lightbulbs and refrigerators.
Section 2.01 Transfer of Assets and Assumption of Liabilities.
(a) In accordance with the Separation Step Plan and to the extent not effected prior to the date of this Agreement, subject to Section 2.01(d), prior to the Distribution, the Parties shall, and shall cause their respective Group members to, execute such instruments of assignment or transfer and take such other corporate actions as are necessary to:
(i) transfer and convey to one or more members of the SpinCo Group all of the right, title and interest of the Nuance Group in, to and under all SpinCo Assets not already owned by the SpinCo Group;
(ii) transfer and convey to one or more members of the Nuance Group all of the right, title and interest of the SpinCo Group in, to and under all Nuance Assets not already owned by the Nuance Group;
(iii) cause one or more members of the SpinCo Group to assume all of the SpinCo Liabilities to the extent such Liabilities would otherwise remain obligations of any member of the Nuance Group; and
(iv) cause one or more members of the Nuance Group to assume all of the Nuance Liabilities to the extent such Liabilities would otherwise remain obligations of any member of the SpinCo Group, in each case of clauses (i) through (iv) in the manner contemplated by the Separation Step Plan.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, neither Party shall be required to transfer any Information except as required by Article VII or any insurance policies which are the subject of Article VIII.
(b) In the event that it is discovered after the Distribution that there was an omission of (i) the transfer or conveyance by SpinCo (or a member of the SpinCo Group) to, or the acceptance or assumption by, Nuance (or a member of the Nuance Group) of any Nuance Asset or Nuance Liability, as the case may be, (ii) the transfer or conveyance by Nuance (or a member of the Nuance Group) to, or the acceptance or assumption by, SpinCo (or a member of the SpinCo Group) of any SpinCo Asset or SpinCo Liability, as the case may be, or (iii) the transfer or conveyance by one Party (or any other member of its Group) to, or the acceptance or assumption by, the other Party (or any other member of its Group) of any Asset or Liability, as the case may be, that, had the Parties given specific consideration to such Asset or Liability prior to the Distribution, would have otherwise been so transferred, conveyed, accepted or assumed, as the case may be, pursuant to this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement, the Parties shall use reasonable best efforts to promptly effect such transfer, conveyance, acceptance or assumption of such Asset or Liability, as the case may be. Any transfer, conveyance, acceptance or assumption made pursuant to this Section 2.01(b) shall be treated by the Parties for all purposes as if it had occurred prior to the Distribution, except as otherwise required by applicable Law or a Final Determination.
(c) In the event that it is discovered after the Distribution that there was a transfer or conveyance (i) by SpinCo (or a member of the SpinCo Group) to, or the acceptance or assumption by, Nuance (or a member of the Nuance Group) of any SpinCo Asset or SpinCo Liability, as the case may be, or (ii) by Nuance (or a member of the Nuance Group) to, or the acceptance or assumption by, SpinCo (or a member of the SpinCo Group) of any Nuance Asset or Nuance Liability, as the case may be, the Parties shall use reasonable best efforts to promptly transfer or convey such Asset or Liability back to the transferring or conveying Party or to rescind any acceptance or assumption of such Asset or Liability, as the case may be. Any transfer or conveyance made or acceptance or assumption rescinded pursuant to this Section 2.01(c) shall be treated by the Parties for all purposes as if such Asset or Liability had never been originally transferred, conveyed, accepted or assumed, as the case may be, except as otherwise required by applicable Law or a Final Determination.
(d) To the extent that any transfer or conveyance of any Asset (other than Shared Contracts, which are governed solely by Section 2.05; or the leasehold interests, subleasehold interests, license interests or other real property interests under the Real Estate Separation Documents, which are governed solely by Section 2.04); or acceptance or assumption
of any Liability (other than Shared Contracts, which are governed solely by Section 2.05; or the leasehold interests, subleasehold interests, license interests or other real property interests under the Real Estate Separation Documents, which are governed solely by Section 2.04) required by this Agreement to be so transferred, conveyed, accepted or assumed shall not have been completed prior to the Distribution, the Parties shall use reasonable best efforts to effect such transfer, conveyance, acceptance or assumption as promptly following the Distribution as shall be practicable. Nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to require the transfer or conveyance of any Assets or the acceptance or assumption of any Liabilities which by their respective terms (or the terms of any Contract relating to such Asset or Liability) or operation of Law cannot be so transferred, conveyed, accepted or assumed; provided, however, that the Parties shall use reasonable best efforts to obtain any necessary Governmental Approvals and other Consents for the transfer, conveyance, acceptance or assumption (as applicable) of all Assets and Liabilities required by this Agreement to be so transferred, conveyed, accepted or assumed. In the event that any such transfer, conveyance, acceptance or assumption (as applicable) has not been completed effective as of the Distribution, the Party retaining such Asset or Liability (or the member of the Party's Group retaining such Asset or Liability) shall thereafter hold such Asset for the use and benefit of the Party entitled thereto (at the expense of the Party entitled thereto) and retain such Liability for the account, and at the expense, of the Party by whom such Liability should have been assumed or accepted pursuant to this Agreement, and take such other actions as may be reasonably requested by the Party to which (or to the Group of which) such Asset should have been transferred or conveyed, or by whom (or by the Group of whom) such Liability should have been assumed or accepted, as the case may be, in order to place such Party or the member of its Group, insofar as reasonably possible, in the same position as would have existed had such Asset or Liability been transferred, conveyed, accepted or assumed (as applicable) as and when contemplated by this Agreement, including in respect of possession, use, risk of loss, potential for gain and control over such Asset or Liability, as the case may be. As and when any such Asset or Liability becomes transferable or assumable, as the case may be, each Party shall, and shall cause the members of its Group to, use reasonable best efforts to promptly effect such transfer, conveyance, acceptance or assumption (as applicable). Any transfer, conveyance, acceptance or assumption made pursuant to this Section 2.01(d) shall be treated by the Parties for all purposes as if it had occurred immediately prior to the Distribution, except as otherwise required by applicable Law or a Final Determination.
(e) The Party retaining any Asset or Liability due to the deferral of the transfer and conveyance of such Asset or the deferral of the acceptance and assumption of such Liability pursuant to this Section 2.01 or otherwise shall not be obligated by this Agreement, in connection with this Section 2.01, to expend any money or take any action that would require the expenditure of money unless and to the extent the Party or the member of the Party's Group entitled to receive such Asset or intended to assume such Liability, as applicable, advances or agrees to reimburse it for the applicable expenditures.
(f) Without limiting any other provision hereof, each of Nuance and SpinCo will take, and will cause each member of its respective Group to take, such actions as are reasonably necessary to consummate the transactions contemplated by the Separation Step Plan (whether prior to, at or after the Distribution). The Parties agree that the steps described in the Separation Step Plan shall be effected in the order and manner prescribed in the Separation Step Plan.
(g) In the event that Nuance determines to seek novation with respect to any SpinCo Liability, SpinCo shall reasonably cooperate with, and shall cause the members of the SpinCo Group to reasonably cooperate with, Nuance and the members of the Nuance Group (including, where necessary, entering into appropriate instruments of assumption and, where necessary, SpinCo providing parent guarantees in support of the obligations of other members of the SpinCo Group) to cause such novation to be obtained, on terms reasonably acceptable to SpinCo, and to have Nuance and the members of the Nuance Group released from all liability to third parties arising after the date of such novation and, in the event SpinCo determines to seek novation with respect to any Nuance Liability, Nuance shall reasonably cooperate with, and shall cause the members of the Nuance Group to reasonably cooperate with, SpinCo and the members of the SpinCo Group (including, where necessary, entering into appropriate instruments of assumption and, where necessary, Nuance providing parent guarantees in support of the obligations of other members of the Nuance Group) to cause such novation to be obtained, on terms reasonably acceptable to Nuance, and to have SpinCo and the members of the SpinCo Group released from all liability to third parties arising after the date of such novation; provided that neither Party nor any member of its Group shall be required to contribute capital, pay or grant any consideration or concession in any form (including providing any letter of credit, guaranty or other financial accommodation) to any Person in order to cause such novation to be obtained (other than reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, attorneys' fees and recording or similar fees, all of which shall be reimbursed by the Party or the member of the Party's Group entitled to such Asset or intended to assume such Liability, as applicable, as promptly as reasonably practicable).
Section 2.02 Certain Matters Governed Exclusively by Ancillary Agreements. Each of Nuance and SpinCo agrees on behalf of itself and the members of its Group that, except as explicitly provided in this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement, (a) the TMA shall exclusively govern all matters relating to Taxes between such parties (except to the extent that tax matters relating to employee and employee benefits-related matters are addressed in the EMA), (b) the EMA shall exclusively govern the allocation of Assets and Liabilities related to employee and employee compensation and benefits-related matters, including the outstanding awards (equity- and cash-based) under existing equity plans with respect to employees and former employees of members of both the Nuance Group and the SpinCo Group (except to the extent that employee compensation and benefits-related reimbursements are addressed in the TSA) (it being understood that any such Assets and Liabilities, as allocated pursuant to the EMA, shall constitute SpinCo Assets, SpinCo Liabilities, Nuance Assets or Nuance Liabilities, as applicable, hereunder and shall be subject to Article VI hereof), (c) the IPA shall exclusively govern the recordation of the transfers of any registrations or applications of Nuance IP and SpinCo IP that is allocated hereunder, as applicable, and the use and licensing of certain Intellectual Property Rights identified therein between members of the Nuance Group and members of the SpinCo Group, (d) the Trademark License Agreement shall exclusively govern all matters relating to the use and licensing of certain trademarks identified therein between members of the Nuance Group and the SpinCo Group and (e) the TSA shall exclusively govern all matters relating to the provision of certain services identified therein to be provided by each Party to the other on a transitional basis following the Distribution. Except as set forth in this Section 2.02, in the event and to the extent that there shall be a conflict between the provisions of this Agreement and the provisions of any Ancillary Agreement, the provisions of this Agreement shall control (unless the Ancillary Agreement explicitly provides otherwise).
Section 2.03 Termination of Agreements.
(a) Except as set forth in Section 2.03(b) or Section 2.03(c) or as otherwise provided by the Separation Step Plan, in furtherance of the releases and other provisions of Section 6.01, effective as of the Distribution, SpinCo and each other member of the SpinCo Group, on the one hand, and Nuance and each other member of the Nuance Group, on the other hand, hereby terminate any and all Contracts, arrangements, commitments and understandings, oral or written between such parties and in existence as of the Distribution Date ("Intercompany Agreements"), including all intercompany accounts payable or accounts receivable in effect or accrued as of the Distribution Date ("Intercompany Accounts"). No such terminated Intercompany Agreement or Intercompany Account (including any provision thereof that purports to survive termination) shall be of any further force or effect after the Distribution Date. Each Party shall, at the reasonable request of the other Party, take, or cause to be taken, such other actions as may be necessary to effect the foregoing. The Parties, on behalf of the members of their respective Groups, hereby waive any advance notice provision or other termination requirements with respect to any Intercompany Agreement.
(b) The provisions of Section 2.03(a) shall not apply to any of the following Intercompany Agreements or Intercompany Accounts (or to any of the provisions thereof): (i) this Agreement and the Ancillary Agreements (and each other Intercompany Agreement or Intercompany Account expressly contemplated by this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement to be entered into by either Party or any other member of its Group); (ii) any Intercompany Agreements to which any third party is a party, including any Shared Contracts; (iii) any other Intercompany Agreements or Intercompany Accounts that this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement expressly contemplates will survive the Distribution Date; and (iv) those Intercompany Agreements and Intercompany Accounts set forth on Schedule XIII.
(c) In connection with the termination of Intercompany Accounts described in Section 2.03(a), each of Nuance and SpinCo shall cause each Intercompany Account between a member of the SpinCo Group, on the one hand, and a member of the Nuance Group, on the other hand, outstanding as of the close of business on the business day immediately prior to the date of the Distribution to be settled on a net basis (whether via a dividend, a capital contribution, a combination of the foregoing or as otherwise agreed), in each case prior to the close of business on the date of the Distribution (except for any such intercompany payables or receivables arising pursuant to an Ancillary Agreement or any other Intercompany Agreement that this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement expressly contemplates will survive the Distribution Date, which shall instead be settled in accordance with the terms of such Ancillary Agreement or other Intercompany Agreement); provided, that all intercompany balances set forth on Schedule XXI shall be forgiven without any settlement or other action on the part of either of the Parties or the respective members of their respective Groups.
(i) Nuance and SpinCo each agree to take, or cause the respective members of their respective Groups to take, prior to the Distribution (or as promptly as reasonably practicable thereafter), all actions necessary to amend all contracts or agreements governing (x) the Nuance Accounts so that such Nuance Accounts, if linked
(whether by automatic withdrawal, automatic deposit or any other authorization to transfer funds from or to, hereinafter "linked") to any SpinCo Account, are de-linked from such SpinCo Accounts and (y) the SpinCo Accounts so that such SpinCo Accounts, if linked to any Nuance Account, are de-linked from such Nuance Accounts.
(ii) With respect to any outstanding checks issued by, or payments made by, Nuance, SpinCo or any of their respective Subsidiaries prior to the Distribution, such outstanding checks shall be honored from and after the Distribution by the Person or Group owning the account on which the check is drawn, without limiting the ultimate allocation of Liability for such amounts under this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement.
(iii) As between Nuance and SpinCo (and the members of their respective Groups), except to the extent prohibited by applicable Law or a Final Determination, all payments and reimbursements received after the Distribution by either Party (or a member of its Group) to which the other Party (or a member of its Group) is entitled under this Agreement, shall be held by such Party (or the applicable member of its Group) in trust for the use and benefit of the Person entitled thereto and, within sixty (60) days of receipt by such Party (or the applicable member of its Group) of any such payment or reimbursement, such Party shall pay over, or shall cause the applicable member of its Group to pay over to the other Party (or the applicable member of its Group), the amount of such payment or reimbursement without right of setoff.
(e) Each of Nuance and SpinCo shall, and shall cause each of their respective Subsidiaries to, take all necessary actions to remove each of SpinCo and SpinCo's Subsidiaries from all Cash Management Arrangements to which it is a party, in each case prior to the close of business on the business day immediately prior to the Distribution Date.
Section 2.04 Real Estate Separation Documents. Prior to the Distribution, the Parties shall, and shall cause their respective applicable Group members to, use reasonable best efforts to obtain and make any necessary Consents and enter into the Real Estate Separation Documents to make the Real Estate Separation Documents effective at or prior to the Distribution; provided, however, that nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to require entering into any Real Estate Separation Document unless and until any necessary Consents are obtained or made, as applicable; provided, further, that neither Party nor any member of its Group shall be required to contribute capital, pay or grant any consideration or concession in any form (including providing any letter of credit, guaranty or other financial accommodation or the relinquishment or forbearance of any rights) to any Person in order to obtain or make any such Consent (other than reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, attorneys' fees and recording or similar fees). In the event any such Consents have not been obtained prior to the Distribution, the Parties shall use reasonable best efforts (subject to the terms of this Section 2.04) to obtain or make such Consent as promptly as reasonably practicable following the Distribution and, upon receipt of such Consent, shall execute the applicable Real Estate Separation Document; provided, however, that neither Party nor any member of its Group shall be required to contribute capital, pay or grant any consideration or concession in any form (including providing any letter of credit, guaranty or other financial accommodation or the relinquishment or forbearance of any rights) to any Person in order to obtain or make any such Consent (other than reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, attorneys' fees and
recording or similar fees). If any Real Estate Separation Document is not effective prior to the Distribution, then the Parties shall, and shall cause their respective Group members to, cooperate in any reasonable and permissible arrangement to provide that, following the Distribution and until such time as the effectiveness of the applicable Real Estate Separation Document shall cease (or, with respect to any Lease Assignment, until the expiration or earlier termination of the real property lease subject to such Lease Assignment), a member of the SpinCo Group shall receive the interest in the benefits and obligations of SpinCo or the applicable member of the SpinCo Group under the proposed terms of such Real Estate Separation Document and a member of the Nuance Group shall receive the interest in the benefits and obligations of Nuance or the applicable member of the Nuance Group under the proposed terms of such Real Estate Separation Document. In the event of a conflict between this Agreement and any Real Estate Separation Document, the applicable Real Estate Separation Document shall govern. To the extent any matter is not addressed in a Real Estate Separation Document, but is addressed in this Agreement, the terms of this Agreement shall control as to such matter.
Section 2.05 Shared Contracts.
(a) Except as set forth on Schedule VIII, the Parties shall, and shall cause the members of their respective Groups to, use their respective reasonable best efforts to work together (and, if necessary and desirable, to work with the third party to such Shared Contract) in an effort to divide, partially assign, modify or replicate (in whole or in part) the respective rights and obligations under and in respect of any Shared Contract, such that (a) a member of the SpinCo Group is the beneficiary of the rights and is responsible for the obligations related to that portion of such Shared Contract relating to the SpinCo Business (the "SpinCo Portion"), which rights shall be a SpinCo Asset and which obligations shall be a SpinCo Liability, and (b) a member of the Nuance Group is the beneficiary of the rights and is responsible for the obligations related to such Shared Contract not relating to the SpinCo Business (the "Nuance Portion"), which rights shall be a Nuance Asset and which obligations shall be a Nuance Liability. Nothing in this Agreement shall require the division, partial assignment, modification or replication of a Shared Contract unless and until any necessary Consents are obtained or made, as applicable. If the Parties, or their respective Group members, as applicable, are not able to enter into an arrangement to formally divide, partially assign, modify or replicate such Shared Contract prior to the Distribution as contemplated by the previous sentence, then the Parties shall, and shall cause their respective Group members to, cooperate in any reasonable and permissible arrangement to provide that, following the Distribution, a member of the SpinCo Group shall receive the interest in the benefits and obligations of the SpinCo Portion under such Shared Contract and a member of the Nuance Group shall receive the interest in the benefits and obligations of the Nuance Portion under such Shared Contract, it being understood that no Party shall have Liability to the other Party for the failure of any third party to perform its obligations under any such Shared Contract.
(b) Nothing in this Section 2.05 shall require either Party or any member of each of their respective Groups to contribute capital, pay or grant any consideration or concession in any form (including providing any letter of credit, guaranty or other financial accommodation) to any Person (other than reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, attorneys' fees and recording or similar fees, all of which shall be reimbursed by the Party or the member of the Party's Group entitled to such Asset or intended to assume such Liability, as applicable, as promptly as
reasonably practicable). For the avoidance of doubt, reasonable out-of-pocket expenses and recording or similar fees shall not include any purchase price, license fee, or other payment or compensation for the procurement of any asset secured to replace an Asset in the course of a Party's obligation under Section 2.05(a).
Section 2.06 Disclaimer of Representations and Warranties. Each of Nuance (on behalf of itself and each other member of the Nuance Group) and SpinCo (on behalf of itself and each other member of the SpinCo Group) understands and agrees that, except as expressly set forth in this Agreement, any Ancillary Agreement or the Representation Letter, no party to this Agreement, any Ancillary Agreement or any other agreement or document contemplated by this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement is representing or warranting in any way as to any Assets or Liabilities transferred or assumed as contemplated hereby or thereby, as to the sufficiency of the Assets or Liabilities transferred or assumed hereby or thereby for the conduct and operations of the SpinCo Business or the Nuance Business, as applicable, as to any Governmental Approvals or other Consents required in connection therewith or in connection with any past transfers of the Assets or assumptions of the Liabilities, as to the value or freedom from any Security Interests of, or any other matter concerning, any Assets or Liabilities of such party, or as to the absence of any defenses or rights of setoff or freedom from counterclaim with respect to any claim or other Asset, including any accounts receivable, of any such party, or as to the legal sufficiency of any assignment, document or instrument delivered hereunder to convey title to any Asset or thing of value upon the execution, delivery and filing hereof or thereof, and each of Nuance (on behalf of itself and each other member of the Nuance Group) and SpinCo (on behalf of itself and each other member of the SpinCo Group) has relied only on the representations and warranties expressly contained in Section 11.01(c), in any Ancillary Agreement or the Representation Letter. Except as may expressly be set forth herein or in any Ancillary Agreement, any such Assets are being transferred on an "as is," "where is" basis and the respective transferees shall bear the economic and legal risks that (a) any conveyance shall prove to be insufficient to vest in the transferee good and marketable title, free and clear of any Security Interest and (b) any necessary Governmental Approvals or other Consents are not obtained or that any requirements of Laws or judgments are not complied with.
Section 2.07 Waiver of Bulk-Sale and Bulk-Transfer Laws. SpinCo hereby waives compliance by each and every member of the Nuance Group with the requirements and provisions of any "bulk-sale" or "bulk-transfer" Laws of any jurisdiction that may otherwise be applicable with respect to the transfer or sale of any or all of the SpinCo Assets to any member of the SpinCo Group. Nuance hereby waives compliance by each and every member of the SpinCo Group with the requirements and provisions of any "bulk-sale" or "bulk-transfer" Laws of any jurisdiction that may otherwise be applicable with respect to the transfer or sale of any or all of the Nuance Assets to any member of the Nuance Group.
Section 2.08 Cash Adjustment. Each of Nuance and SpinCo agrees to take the actions set forth on Schedule XI.
Section 3.01 Replacement of Nuance Credit Support.
(a) SpinCo shall use reasonable best efforts to arrange, at its sole cost and expense and effective on or prior to the Distribution Date, the termination or replacement of all guarantees, covenants, indemnities, surety bonds, letters of credit or similar assurances of credit support ("Credit Support Instruments") provided by, through or on behalf of Nuance or any other member of the Nuance Group for the benefit of SpinCo or any other member of the SpinCo Group ("Nuance Credit Support Instruments"), other than any of the Nuance Credit Support Instruments set forth on Schedule XIV (the "Surviving Nuance Credit Support Instruments"), with alternate arrangements that do not require any credit support from Nuance or any other member of the Nuance Group, and shall use reasonable best efforts to obtain from the beneficiaries of such Credit Support Instruments written releases (which in the case of a letter of credit or bank guarantee would be effective upon surrender of the original Nuance Credit Support Instrument to the originating bank and such bank's confirmation to Nuance of cancelation thereof) indicating that Nuance or such other member of the Nuance Group will, effective upon the consummation of the Distribution, have no liability with respect to such Credit Support Instruments, in each case, reasonably satisfactory to Nuance.
(b) In furtherance of Section 3.01(a), to the extent required to obtain a removal or release from a Nuance Credit Support Instrument, SpinCo or an appropriate member of the SpinCo Group shall execute an agreement substantially in the form of the existing Nuance Credit Support Instrument or such other form as is agreed to by the relevant parties to such agreement, except to the extent that such existing Nuance Credit Support Instrument contains representations, covenants or other terms or provisions (i) with which SpinCo or the appropriate member of the SpinCo Group would be reasonably unable to comply or (ii) which would be reasonably expected to be breached by SpinCo or the appropriate member of the SpinCo Group.
(c) If SpinCo is unable to obtain, or to cause to be obtained, all releases from Nuance Credit Support Instruments pursuant to Sections 3.01(a) and 3.01(b) on or prior to the Distribution, (i) without limiting SpinCo's obligations under Article VI, SpinCo shall cause the relevant member of the SpinCo Group that has assumed the Liability with respect to such Credit Support Instrument to indemnify and hold harmless the guarantor or obligor for any Liability arising out of, resulting from or relating thereto in accordance with the provisions of Article VI and to, as agent or subcontractor for such guarantor or obligor, pay, perform and discharge fully all the obligations or other Liabilities of such guarantor or obligor thereunder, (ii) except as set forth on Schedule XIV, with respect to such Credit Support Instrument, each of Nuance and SpinCo, on behalf of themselves and the members of each of their respective Groups, agree, except as otherwise expressly required by the terms of a Contract with a third party in effect as of the
Distribution, not to renew or extend the term of, increase its obligations under or transfer to a third Person, any loan, guarantee, lease, sublease, license, Contract or other obligation for which the other Party or any member of the other Party's Group is or may be liable under such Credit Support Instrument unless all obligations of the other Party and the other members of the other Party's Group with respect thereto are thereupon terminated by documentation reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the other Party and (iii) with respect to the Expected Surviving Guarantees, Nuance and SpinCo shall take the actions set forth on Schedule XX. The provisions of clauses (i) and (ii) of the foregoing sentence shall also apply to all Surviving Nuance Credit Support Instruments.
Section 3.02 Replacement of SpinCo Credit Support.
(a) Nuance shall use reasonable best efforts to arrange, at its sole cost and expense and effective on or prior to the Distribution Date, the termination or replacement of all Credit Support Instruments provided by, through or on behalf of SpinCo or any other member of the SpinCo Group for the benefit of Nuance or any other member of the Nuance Group ("SpinCo Credit Support Instruments"), other than any of the SpinCo Credit Support Instruments set forth on Schedule XV (the "Surviving SpinCo Credit Support Instruments"), with alternate arrangements that do not require any credit support from SpinCo or any other member of the SpinCo Group, and shall use reasonable best efforts to obtain from the beneficiaries of such Credit Support Instruments written releases (which in the case of a letter of credit or bank guarantee would be effective upon surrender of the original SpinCo Credit Support Instrument to the originating bank and such bank's confirmation to SpinCo of cancelation thereof) indicating that SpinCo or such other member of the SpinCo Group will, effective upon the consummation of the Distribution, have no liability with respect to such Credit Support Instruments, in each case reasonably satisfactory to SpinCo.
(b) In furtherance of Section 3.02(a), to the extent required to obtain a removal or release from a SpinCo Credit Support Instrument, Nuance or an appropriate member of the Nuance Group shall execute an agreement substantially in the form of the existing SpinCo Credit Support Instrument or such other form as is agreed to by the relevant parties to such agreement, except to the extent that such existing SpinCo Credit Support Instrument contains representations, covenants or other terms or provisions (i) with which Nuance or the appropriate member of the Nuance Group would be reasonably unable to comply or (ii) which would be reasonably expected to be breached by Nuance or the appropriate member of the Nuance Group.
(c) If Nuance is unable to obtain, or to cause to be obtained, all releases from SpinCo Credit Support Instruments pursuant to Sections 3.02(a) and 3.02(b) on or prior to the Distribution, (i) without limiting Nuance's obligations under Article VI, Nuance shall cause the relevant member of the Nuance Group that has assumed the Liability with respect to such Credit Support Instrument to indemnify and hold harmless the guarantor or obligor for any Liability arising from or relating thereto in accordance with the provisions of Article VI and to, as agent or subcontractor for such guarantor or obligor, pay, perform and discharge fully all the obligations or other Liabilities of such guarantor or obligor thereunder, (ii) with respect to such Credit Support Instruments that are in the form of a letter of credit or bank guarantee, Nuance shall provide SpinCo with letters of credit or guarantees, in each case issued by a bank reasonably acceptable to SpinCo, against losses arising from all such Credit Support Instruments or, if SpinCo
agrees in writing, cash collateralize the full amount of any outstanding Credit Support Instrument with respect to which such release has not been obtained and (iii) except as set forth on Schedule XV, with respect to such Credit Support Instrument, each of Nuance and SpinCo, on behalf of themselves and the members of each of their respective Groups, agree, except as otherwise expressly required by the terms of a Contract with a third party in effect as of the Distribution, not to renew or extend the term of, increase its obligations under or transfer to a third Person, any loan, guarantee, lease, sublease, license, Contract or other obligation for which the other Party or any member of the other Party's Group is or may be liable under such Credit Support Instrument unless all obligations of the other Party and the other members of the other Party's Group with respect thereto are thereupon terminated by documentation reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the other Party. The provisions of clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) of the foregoing sentence shall also apply to all Surviving SpinCo Credit Support Instruments.
Section 3.03 Manner of Indemnification. Any claims for indemnification under this Article III shall be made in the manner set forth in Section 6.05 and Section 6.06 and are subject to the provisions set forth in Sections 6.07, 6.08 and 6.09.
ACTIONS PENDING THE DISTRIBUTION
Section 4.01 Actions Prior to the Distribution.
(a) Subject to the conditions specified in Section 4.02 and subject to Section 5.03, Nuance and SpinCo shall use reasonable best efforts to consummate the Distribution. Such efforts shall include taking the actions specified in this Section 4.01.
(b) Prior to the Distribution, Nuance shall mail the Information Statement to the Record Holders.
(c) SpinCo shall prepare, file with the Commission and use its reasonable best efforts to cause to become effective any registration statements or amendments thereto required to effect the establishment of, or amendments to, any employee benefit and other plans necessary or appropriate in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any of the Ancillary Agreements.
(d) Nuance and SpinCo shall take all such action as may be necessary or appropriate under the securities or blue sky laws of the states or other political subdivisions of the United States or of other foreign jurisdictions in connection with the Distribution.
(e) SpinCo shall prepare and file, and shall use reasonable best efforts to have approved prior to the Distribution, an application for the listing of the SpinCo Common Stock to be distributed in the Distribution on the Exchange, subject to official notice of distribution.
(f) Prior to the Distribution, Nuance, in its capacity as sole stockholder of SpinCo, shall have duly elected to the SpinCo board of directors the individuals listed as members of the SpinCo board of directors in the Information Statement, and such individuals shall be the members of the SpinCo board of directors effective as of immediately after the Distribution;
provided, however, that to the extent required by any Law or requirement of the Exchange or any other national securities exchange, as applicable, one independent director shall be appointed by the existing board of directors of SpinCo prior to the date on which "when-issued" trading of the SpinCo Common Stock begins on the Exchange and begin his or her term prior to the Distribution and shall serve on SpinCo's Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Governance Committee.
(g) Prior to the Distribution, Nuance shall deliver or cause to be delivered to SpinCo resignations, effective as of immediately after the Distribution, of each individual who will be an employee of any member of the Nuance Group after the Distribution and who is an officer or director of any member of the SpinCo Group immediately prior to the Distribution.
(h) Immediately prior to the Distribution, the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and the Amended and Restated By-laws of SpinCo, each in substantially the form filed as an exhibit to the Form 10, shall be in effect.
(i) Nuance and SpinCo shall, subject to Section 5.03, take all reasonable steps necessary and appropriate to cause the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 to be satisfied and to effect the Distribution on the Distribution Date.
(j) Prior to the Distribution, SpinCo shall make capital and other expenditures and operate its cash management, accounts payable and receivables collection systems in the ordinary course of business consistent with prior practice except as required in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Ancillary Agreements.
Section 4.02 Conditions Precedent to Consummation of the Distribution. Subject to Section 5.03, as soon as practicable after the date of this Agreement, the Parties shall use reasonable best efforts to satisfy the following conditions prior to the consummation of the Distribution. The obligations of the Parties to consummate the Distribution shall be conditioned on the satisfaction, or waiver by Nuance, of the following conditions:
(a) The board of directors of Nuance shall have authorized and approved the Contribution and Distribution and not withdrawn such authorization and approval, and shall have declared the dividend of SpinCo Common Stock to Nuance stockholders.
(b) Each Ancillary Agreement shall have been executed by each party to such agreement.
(c) The SpinCo Common Stock shall have been accepted for listing on the Exchange or another national securities exchange approved by Nuance, subject to official notice of issuance.
(d) The Commission shall have declared effective the Form 10, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Form 10 shall be in effect and no proceedings for that purpose shall be pending before or threatened by the Commission.
(e) Nuance shall have received the written opinion of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, which shall remain in full force and effect, that, subject to the accuracy of and compliance with the relevant Representation Letter, the Distribution will qualify for Tax-Free Status.
(f) The Separation Transactions shall have been completed in accordance with the Separation Step Plan (other than those steps that are expressly contemplated to occur at or after the Distribution).
(g) No order, injunction or decree issued by any Governmental Authority of competent jurisdiction or other legal restraint or prohibition preventing the consummation of the Distribution shall be in effect, and no other event outside the control of Nuance shall have occurred, or failed to occur, that prevents the consummation of the Distribution.
(h) No other events or developments shall have occurred prior to the Distribution that, in the judgment of the board of directors of Nuance, would result in the Distribution having a material adverse effect on Nuance or the stockholders of Nuance.
(i) The actions set forth in Sections 4.01(b), (f), (g) and (h) shall have been completed.
The foregoing conditions are for the sole benefit of Nuance and shall not give rise to or create any duty on the part of Nuance or the Nuance board of directors to waive, or not waive, such conditions or in any way limit the right of Nuance to terminate this Agreement as set forth in Article X or alter the consequences of any such termination from those specified in such Article. Any determination made by the Nuance board of directors prior to the Distribution concerning the satisfaction or waiver of any or all of the conditions set forth in this Section 4.02 shall be conclusive.
Section 5.01 The Distribution.
(a) SpinCo shall cooperate with Nuance to accomplish the Distribution and shall, at the direction of Nuance, use its reasonable best efforts to promptly take any and all actions necessary or desirable to effect the Distribution. Nuance shall select any investment bank or manager in connection with the Distribution, as well as any financial printer, distribution agent and financial, legal, accounting and other advisors for Nuance. Nuance or SpinCo, as the case may be, will provide, or cause the applicable member of its Group to provide, to the Agent all share certificates and any information required in order to complete the Distribution.
(b) Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, (i) after completion of the Separation Transactions (other than the Distribution) and on or prior to the Distribution Date, for the benefit of and distribution to the holders of Nuance Common Stock as of the Record Date ("Record Holders"), Nuance will deliver to the Agent all of the issued and outstanding shares of SpinCo Common Stock held by Nuance and book-entry authorizations for such shares and (ii) on the Distribution Date, Nuance shall instruct the Agent to distribute, by means of
a pro rata dividend based on the aggregate number of shares of Nuance Common Stock held by each applicable Record Holder, to each Record Holder (or such Record Holder's bank or brokerage firm on such Record Holder's behalf) electronically, by direct registration in book-entry form, the number of shares of SpinCo Common Stock to which such Record Holder is entitled based on a distribution ratio determined by Nuance in its sole discretion. The Distribution shall be effective at 5:00 p.m. New York City time on the Distribution Date. On or as soon as practicable after the Distribution Date, the Agent will mail to each Record Holder an account statement indicating the number of shares of SpinCo Common Stock that have been registered in book-entry form in the name of such Record Holder.
Section 5.02 Fractional Shares. Record Holders holding a number of shares of Nuance Common Stock on the Record Date that would entitle such holders to receive less than one whole share (in addition to any whole shares) of SpinCo Common Stock in the Distribution will receive cash in lieu of such fractional share. Fractional shares of SpinCo Common Stock will not be distributed in the Distribution nor credited to book-entry accounts. Nuance shall cause the Agent to, as soon as practicable after the date on which "when-issued" trading of the SpinCo Common Stock begins on the Exchange, (a) determine the number of whole shares and fractional shares of SpinCo Common Stock allocable to each Record Holder and (b) aggregate all fractional shares into whole shares and sell the whole shares obtained thereby in open market transactions at then prevailing trading prices on behalf of holders who would otherwise be entitled to fractional share interests. Nuance shall cause the Agent to, as soon as practicable after the Distribution Date, distribute to each such holder, or for the benefit of each beneficial owner, such holder's or owner's ratable share of the net proceeds of such sale, based upon the average gross selling price per share of SpinCo Common Stock after making appropriate deductions for any amount required to be withheld under applicable Tax Law and less any brokers' charges, commissions or transfer Taxes. The Agent, in its sole discretion, will determine the timing and method of selling such fractional shares, the selling price of such fractional shares and the broker-dealer through which such fractional shares will be sold; provided, however, that the designated broker-dealer is not an Affiliate of Nuance or SpinCo. Neither Nuance nor SpinCo will pay any interest on the proceeds from the sale of fractional shares.
Section 5.03 Sole Discretion of Nuance. Nuance shall, in its sole and absolute discretion, determine the Record Date, the Distribution Date and all terms of the Distribution, including the form, structure and terms of any transactions or offerings to effect the Distribution and the timing of and conditions to the consummation thereof. In addition, and notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth below, Nuance may at any time and from time to time until the Distribution decide to abandon the Distribution or modify or change the terms of the Distribution, including by accelerating or delaying the timing of the consummation of all or part of the Distribution.
MUTUAL RELEASES; INDEMNIFICATION
Section 6.01 Release of Pre-Distribution Claims.
(a) Except as provided in Section 6.01(c) or elsewhere in this Agreement or the Ancillary Agreements effective as of the Distribution, SpinCo does hereby, for itself and each other member of the SpinCo Group, their respective Affiliates, and to the extent it may legally do so, its successors and assigns, and all Persons who at any time on or prior to the Distribution have been stockholders, directors, officers, members, agents or employees of any member of the SpinCo Group (in each case, in their respective capacities as such), remise, release and forever discharge Nuance and the other members of the Nuance Group, their respective Affiliates, successors and assigns, and all Persons who at any time on or prior to the Distribution have been stockholders, directors, officers, members, agents or employees of any member of the Nuance Group (in each case, in their respective capacities as such), and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, from any and all SpinCo Liabilities whatsoever, whether at Law or in equity (including any right of contribution), whether arising under any Contract, by operation of Law or otherwise, existing or arising from any acts or events occurring, or failing to occur, or alleged to have occurred, or to have failed to occur, or any conditions existing or alleged to have existed on or before the Distribution, including in connection with the Spin-Off and all other activities to implement the Spin-Off. This Section 6.01(a) shall not affect Nuance's indemnification obligations with respect to Liabilities arising on or before the Distribution Date under Article XI of its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Section 6 of Article VII of its Amended and Restated Bylaws, as in effect on the date on which the event or circumstances giving rise to such indemnification obligation occur.
(b) Except as provided in Section 6.01(c) or elsewhere in this Agreement or the Ancillary Agreements, effective as of the Distribution, Nuance does hereby, for itself and each other member of the Nuance Group, their respective Affiliates, and to the extent it may legally do so, its successors and assigns, and all Persons who at any time on or prior to the Distribution have been stockholders, directors, officers, agents or employees of any member of the Nuance Group (in each case, in their respective capacities as such), remise, release and forever discharge SpinCo, the other members of the SpinCo Group, their respective Affiliates, successors and assigns, and all Persons who at any time on or prior to the Distribution have been stockholders, directors, officers, agents or employees of any member of the SpinCo Group (in each case, in their respective capacities as such), and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, from any and all Nuance Liabilities whatsoever, whether at Law or in equity (including any right of contribution), whether arising under any Contract, by operation of Law or otherwise, existing or arising from any acts or events occurring, or failing to occur, or alleged to have occurred, or to have failed to occur, or any conditions existing, or alleged to have existed, on or before the Distribution, including in connection with the Spin-Off and all other activities to implement the Spin-Off.
(c) Nothing contained in Section 6.01(a) or (b) shall impair any right of any Person to enforce this Agreement, any Ancillary Agreement or any Intercompany Agreement
or Intercompany Account that is specified in Section 2.03(b) not to terminate as of the Distribution, in each case in accordance with its terms. Nothing contained in Section 6.01(a) or (b) shall release:
(i) any Person from any Liability provided in or resulting from any Contract among any members of the Nuance Group or the SpinCo Group that is specified in Section 2.03(b) as not to terminate as of the Distribution, or any other Liability specified in such Section 2.03(b) as not to terminate as of the Distribution;
(ii) any Person from any Liability, contingent or otherwise, assumed, transferred, assigned or allocated to the Group of which such Person is a member in accordance with, or any other Liability of any member of any Group under, this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement;
(iii) any Person from any Liability provided in or resulting from any other Contract or agreement that is entered into after the Distribution between one Party (or a member of such Party's Group), on the one hand, and the other Party (or a member of such Party's Group), on the other hand;
(iv) any Person from any Liability that the Parties may have with respect to indemnification or contribution pursuant to this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement for claims brought against the Parties, the members of their respective Groups or any of their respective directors, officers, employees or agents, by third Persons, which Liability shall be governed by the provisions of this Article VI or, if applicable, the appropriate provisions of the relevant Ancillary Agreement; or
(v) any Person from any Liability the release of which would result in the release of any Person not otherwise intended to be released pursuant to this Section 6.01.
(d) SpinCo shall not make, and shall not permit any other member of the SpinCo Group to make, any claim or demand, or commence any Action asserting any claim or demand, including any claim of contribution or any indemnification, against Nuance or any other member of the Nuance Group, or any other Person released pursuant to Section 6.01(a), with respect to any Liabilities released pursuant to Section 6.01(a). Nuance shall not make, and shall not permit any other member of the Nuance Group to make, any claim or demand, or commence any Action asserting any claim or demand, including any claim of contribution or any indemnification against SpinCo or any other member of the SpinCo Group, or any other Person released pursuant to Section 6.01(b), with respect to any Liabilities released pursuant to Section 6.01(b).
(e) It is the intent of each of Nuance and SpinCo, by virtue of the provisions of this Section 6.01, to provide for a full and complete release and discharge of all Liabilities existing or arising from all acts and events occurring, or failing to occur, or alleged to have occurred, or to have failed to occur, and all conditions existing or alleged to have existed on or before the Distribution Date, between or among SpinCo or any other member of the SpinCo Group, on the one hand, and Nuance or any other member of the Nuance Group, on the other hand (including any contractual agreements or arrangements existing or alleged to exist between or
among any such members on or before the Distribution Date), except as expressly set forth in Section 6.01(c) or elsewhere in this Agreement or in any Ancillary Agreement. At any time, at the request of the other Party, each Party shall cause each member of its respective Group to execute and deliver releases reflecting the provisions hereof.
Section 6.02 Indemnification by SpinCo. Subject to Section 6.04, SpinCo shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless Nuance, each other member of the Nuance Group and each of their respective former and current directors, officers and employees, and each of the heirs, executors, successors and assigns of any of the foregoing (collectively, the "Nuance Indemnitees"), from and against any and all Liabilities of the Nuance Indemnitees relating to, arising out of or resulting from any of the following items (without duplication):
(a) the SpinCo Liabilities, including the failure of SpinCo or any other member of the SpinCo Group or any other Person to pay, perform or otherwise promptly discharge any SpinCo Liability in accordance with its terms;
(b) any breach by SpinCo or any other member of the SpinCo Group of this Agreement, or any Ancillary Agreement, unless such Ancillary Agreement expressly provides for separate indemnification therein (which shall be controlling); and
(c) any breach by SpinCo of any of the representations and warranties made by SpinCo on behalf of itself and the members of the SpinCo Group in Section 11.01(c).
Section 6.03 Indemnification by Nuance. Subject to Section 6.04, Nuance shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless SpinCo, each other member of the SpinCo Group and each of their respective former and current directors, officers and employees, and each of the heirs, executors, successors and assigns of any of the foregoing (collectively, the "SpinCo Indemnitees"), from and against any and all Liabilities of the SpinCo Indemnitees relating to, arising out of or resulting from any of the following items (without duplication):
(a) the Nuance Liabilities, including the failure of Nuance or any other member of the Nuance Group, or any other Person, to pay, perform or otherwise promptly discharge any Nuance Liability in accordance with its terms;
(b) any breach by Nuance or any other member of the Nuance Group of this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement unless such Ancillary Agreement expressly provides for separate indemnification therein (which shall be controlling); and
(c) any breach by Nuance of any of the representations and warranties made by Nuance on behalf of itself and the members of the Nuance Group in Section 11.01(c).
Section 6.04 Indemnification Obligations Net of Insurance Proceeds and Third-Party Proceeds.
(a) The Parties intend that any Liability subject to indemnification or reimbursement pursuant to this Agreement will be net of (i) Insurance Proceeds that actually reduce the amount of, or are paid to the applicable Indemnitee in respect of, such Liability and (ii) other amounts recovered from any third party (net of any out-of-pocket costs or expenses
incurred in, or Taxes imposed with respect to, the collection thereof) that actually reduce the amount of, or are paid to the applicable Indemnitee in respect of, such Liability ("Third-Party Proceeds"). Accordingly, the amount that either Party (an "Indemnifying Party") is required to pay to any Person entitled to indemnification or reimbursement pursuant to this Agreement (an "Indemnitee") will be reduced by any Insurance Proceeds or Third-Party Proceeds theretofore actually recovered by or on behalf of the Indemnitee from a third party in respect of the related Liability. If an Indemnitee receives a payment required by this Agreement from an Indemnifying Party in respect of any Liability (an "Indemnity Payment") and subsequently receives Insurance Proceeds or Third-Party Proceeds in respect of such Liability, then the Indemnitee will pay to the Indemnifying Party an amount equal to the excess of the Indemnity Payment received over the amount of the Indemnity Payment that would have been due if such Insurance Proceeds or Third-Party Proceeds had been received, realized or recovered before the Indemnity Payment was made; provided, that for the avoidance of doubt, such amount shall not exceed the amount of the Indemnity Payment.
(b) An insurer that would otherwise be obligated to pay any claim shall not be relieved of the responsibility with respect thereto or have any subrogation rights with respect thereto by virtue of the indemnification provisions hereof, it being expressly understood and agreed that no insurer or any other third party shall be entitled to a "wind-fall" (i.e., a benefit it would not be entitled to receive in the absence of the indemnification provisions) by virtue of the indemnification provisions hereof. Subject to Section 6.10, each member of the Nuance Group and SpinCo Group shall use reasonable best efforts to collect or recover any Insurance Proceeds and any Third-Party Proceeds to which such Person is entitled in connection with any Liability for which such Person seeks indemnification pursuant to this Article VI; provided, however, that such Person's inability to collect or recover any such Insurance Proceeds or Third-Party Proceeds shall not limit the Indemnifying Party's obligations hereunder.
(c) The calculation of any Indemnity Payments required by this Agreement shall be subject to Section 12.02 of the TMA.
Section 6.05 Procedures for Indemnification of Third-Party Claims.
(a) If an Indemnitee shall receive notice or otherwise learn of a Third-Party Claim with respect to which an Indemnifying Party may be obligated to provide indemnification to such Indemnitee pursuant to this Agreement (including Article III), such Indemnitee shall give such Indemnifying Party written notice thereof as soon as reasonably practicable, but no later than thirty (30) days after becoming aware of such Third-Party Claim. Any such notice shall describe the Third-Party Claim in reasonable detail and shall include: (i) the basis for, and nature of, such Third-Party Claim, including the facts constituting the basis for such Third-Party Claim; (ii) the estimated amount of losses (to the extent so estimable) that have been or may be sustained by the Indemnitee in connection with such Third-Party Claim; and (iii) copies of all notices and documents (including court papers) received by the Indemnitee relating to the Third-Party Claim; provided, however, that any such notice need only specify such information to the knowledge of the Indemnitee as of the date of such notice and shall not limit or prejudice any of the rights or remedies of any Indemnitee on the basis of any limitations on the information included in such notice, including any such limitations made in good faith to preserve the attorney-client privilege, work product doctrine or any other similar privilege or doctrine. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, the failure of any Indemnitee or other Person to give notice as provided in this Section 6.05(a) shall not relieve the related Indemnifying Party of its obligations under this Article VI, except to the extent that such Indemnifying Party is actually prejudiced by such failure to give notice in accordance with this Section 6.05(a).
(b) The Indemnifying Party shall have the right, exercisable by written notice to the Indemnitee within thirty (30) calendar days after receipt of notice from an Indemnitee in accordance with Section 6.05(a) (or sooner, if the nature of such Third-Party Claim so requires), to assume and conduct the defense of such Third-Party Claim in accordance with the limits set forth in this Agreement with counsel selected by the Indemnifying Party and reasonably acceptable to the Indemnitee; provided, however, that (x) SpinCo shall not be entitled to control the defense of any Third-Party Claim in respect of a Mixed Action and (y) the Indemnifying Party shall not have the right to control the defense of any Third-Party Claim (i) to the extent such Third-Party Claim seeks criminal penalties or injunctive or other equitable relief (other than any such injunctive or other equitable relief that is solely incidental to the granting of money damages) or (ii) if the Indemnitee has reasonably determined in good faith that the Indemnifying Party controlling such defense will affect the Indemnitee or its Group in a materially adverse manner.
(c) If the Indemnifying Party elects not to assume the defense of a Third-Party Claim (or is not permitted to assume the defense of such Third-Party Claim) in accordance with this Agreement, or fails to notify an Indemnitee of its election as provided in Section 6.05(b), such Indemnitee may defend such Third-Party Claim. If the Indemnifying Party elects (and is permitted) to assume the defense of a Third-Party Claim in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the Indemnitees shall, subject to the terms of this Agreement, cooperate with the Indemnifying Party with respect to the defense of such Third-Party Claim.
(d) If the Indemnifying Party elects (and is permitted) to assume the defense of a Third-Party Claim in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the Indemnifying Party will not be liable for any additional legal expenses subsequently incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with the defense of the Third-Party Claim; provided, however, that if the Indemnifying Party fails to take reasonable steps necessary to defend diligently such Third-Party Claim, or the nature of such Third-Party Claim changes such that the Indemnifying Party would no longer be entitled to assume the defense of such Third-Party Claim pursuant to Section 6.05(b), the Indemnitee may assume its own defense, and the Indemnifying Party will be liable for all reasonable costs or expenses paid or incurred in connection with such defense. The Indemnifying Party or the Indemnitee, as the case may be, shall have the right to participate in (but, subject to the prior sentence, not control), at its own expense, the defense of any Third-Party Claim that the other is defending as provided in this Agreement. In the event, however, that such Indemnitee reasonably determines that representation by counsel to the Indemnifying Party of both such Indemnifying Party and the Indemnitee could reasonably be expected to present such counsel with a conflict of interest, then the Indemnitee may employ separate counsel to represent or defend it in any such action or proceeding and the Indemnifying Party will pay the reasonable fees and expenses of such counsel.
(e) No Indemnifying Party shall consent to entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement of any Third-Party Claim without the consent of the applicable Indemnitee or Indemnitees; provided, however, that such consent shall not be required if the
judgment or settlement: (i) contains no finding or admission of Liability with respect to any such Indemnitee or Indemnitees; (ii) involves only monetary relief which the Indemnifying Party has agreed to pay; and (iii) includes a full and unconditional release of the Indemnitee or Indemnitees. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the consent of an Indemnitee shall be required for any entry of judgment or settlement if the effect thereof is to permit any injunction, declaratory judgment, other order or other non-monetary relief to be entered, directly or indirectly, against such Indemnitee.
(f) Whether or not the Indemnifying Party assumes the defense of a Third-Party Claim, no Indemnitee shall admit any liability with respect to, or settle, compromise or discharge, such Third-Party Claim without the Indemnifying Party's prior written consent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed).
Section 6.06 Additional Matters.
(a) Any claim on account of a Liability that does not result from a Third-Party Claim shall be asserted by written notice given by the Indemnitee to the related Indemnifying Party. Any failure by an Indemnitee to give notice shall not relieve the Indemnifying Party's indemnification obligations under this Agreement, except to the extent that the Indemnifying Party shall have been actually prejudiced by such failure. Such Indemnifying Party shall have a period of sixty (60) days after the receipt of such notice within which to respond thereto. If such Indemnifying Party does not respond within such 60-day period, such Indemnifying Party shall be deemed to have refused to accept responsibility to make payment. If such Indemnifying Party does not respond within such sixty-day (60-day) period, or rejects such claim in whole or in part, such Indemnitee shall be free to pursue such remedies as may be available to such Party as contemplated by this Agreement.
(b) In the event of payment by or on behalf of any Indemnifying Party to any Indemnitee in connection with any Third-Party Claim, such Indemnifying Party shall be subrogated to and shall stand in the place of such Indemnitee as to any events or circumstances in respect of which such Indemnitee may have any right, defense or claim relating to such Third-Party Claim against any claimant or plaintiff asserting such Third-Party Claim or against any other Person. Such Indemnitee shall cooperate with such Indemnifying Party in a reasonable manner, and at the cost and expense of such Indemnifying Party, in prosecuting any subrogated right, defense or claim.
Section 6.07 Remedies Cumulative. The remedies provided in this Article VI shall be cumulative and, subject to the provisions of Section 6.10, Article X and Article XII, shall not preclude assertion by any Indemnitee of any other rights or the seeking of any and all other remedies against any Indemnifying Party.
Section 6.08 Covenant Not to Sue. Each Party hereby covenants and agrees that none of it, the members of such Party's Group or any Person claiming through it shall bring suit or otherwise assert any claim against any Indemnifying Party, or assert a defense against any claim asserted by any Indemnifying Party, before any court, arbitrator, mediator or administrative agency anywhere in the world, alleging that: (a) the assumption or retention of any SpinCo Liabilities by SpinCo or a member of the SpinCo Group on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement or the Ancillary Agreements is void or unenforceable for any reason; (b) the
assumption or retention of any Nuance Liabilities by Nuance or a member of the Nuance Group on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement or the Ancillary Agreements is void or unenforceable for any reason; or (c) the provisions of this Article VI are void or unenforceable for any reason.
Section 6.09 Survival of Indemnities. The rights and obligations of each of Nuance and SpinCo and their respective Indemnitees under this Article VI shall survive the sale or other transfer by any Party or its Affiliates of any Assets or businesses or the assignment by it of any Liabilities.
Section 6.10 Limitation on Liability. Except as may expressly be set forth in this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement, none of Nuance, SpinCo or any other member of either Group shall in any event have any Liability to the other or to any other member of the other's Group, or to any other Nuance Indemnitee or SpinCo Indemnitee, as applicable, under this Agreement for any indirect, special, punitive or consequential damages, whether or not caused by or resulting from negligence or breach of obligations hereunder and whether or not informed of the possibility of the existence of such damages; provided, however, that the provisions of this Section 6.10 shall not limit an Indemnifying Party's indemnification obligations hereunder with respect to any Liability any Indemnitee may have to any third party not affiliated with any member of the Nuance Group or the SpinCo Group for any indirect, special, punitive or consequential damages. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this Section 6.10 shall limit the Liability of Nuance, SpinCo or any other member of either Group to the other or to any other member of the other's Group, or to any other Nuance Indemnitee or SpinCo Indemnitee, as applicable, with respect to breaches of Section 7.01, Section 7.04, Section 7.05, Section 7.07 or Section 7.09.
Section 6.11 Management of Existing Actions. This Section 6.11 shall govern the management and direction of certain pending Actions in which members of the Nuance Group or the SpinCo Group are named as parties, but shall not alter the allocation of Liabilities set forth in Article II.
(a) From and after the Distribution, the SpinCo Group shall direct the defense or prosecution of any Actions set forth on Schedule XVII.
(b) From and after the Distribution, the Nuance Group shall direct the defense or prosecution of any Actions set forth on Schedule XVIII.
(c) From and after the Distribution, the Parties shall separately but cooperatively manage (whether as co-defendants or co-plaintiffs) any Actions set forth on Schedule XIX ("Joint Actions"). The Parties shall cooperate in good faith and take all reasonable actions to provide for any appropriate joinder or change in named parties to such Joint Actions such that the appropriate member of each Party or Group is party thereto. The Parties shall reasonably cooperate and consult with each other and, to the extent permissible and necessary or advisable, maintain a joint defense in a manner that would preserve for both Parties and their respective Affiliates any attorney-client privilege, joint defense or other privilege with respect to any Joint Action. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, and except as set forth on Schedule XIX, the Parties may jointly retain counsel (in which case the cost of counsel shall be shared equally by the Parties) or retain separate counsel (in which case each Party will bear the
cost of its separate counsel) with respect to any Joint Action; provided that the Parties shall bear their own discovery costs and shall share equally joint litigation costs. In any Joint Action, each of Nuance and SpinCo may pursue separate defenses, claims, counterclaims or settlements to those claims relating to the Nuance Business or the SpinCo Business, respectively; provided that each Party shall in good faith make reasonable best efforts to avoid adverse effects on the other Party.
(d) To the maximum extent permitted by applicable Law, the rights to recovery of each Party's Subsidiaries in respect of any past, present or future Action are hereby delegated to such Party. It is the intent of the Parties that the foregoing delegation shall satisfy any Law requiring such delegation to be effected pursuant to a power of attorney or similar instrument. The Parties and their respective Subsidiaries shall execute such further instruments or documents as may be necessary to effect such delegation.
(e) No Party managing an Action (the "Managing Party") pursuant to this Section 6.11 shall consent to entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement of any such Action without the prior written consent of the other Party (the "Non-Managing Party") (not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed); provided, however, that such Non-Managing Party, including, in the case of a Joint Action, any co-defendant or co-plaintiff, shall be required to consent to such entry of judgment or to such settlement that the Managing Party may recommend if the judgment or settlement: (i) contains no finding or admission of any violation of Law or any violation of the rights of any Person; (ii) involves only monetary relief which the Managing Party has agreed to pay; and (iii) includes a full and unconditional release of the Non-Managing Party and its applicable related Persons. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall a Non-Managing Party be required to consent to an entry of judgment or settlement if the effect thereof is to permit any injunction, declaratory judgment, other order or other non-monetary relief to be entered, directly or indirectly, against the Non-Managing Party's Group (other than the determination of equitable relief incidental to the granting of monetary relief).
ACCESS TO INFORMATION; PRIVILEGE; CONFIDENTIALITY
Section 7.01 Agreement for Exchange of Information; Archives.
(a) Except in the case of an Adversarial Action or threatened Adversarial Action, and subject to Section 7.01(b), each of Nuance and SpinCo, on behalf of its respective Group, shall provide, or cause to be provided, to the other Party, at any time after the Distribution, as soon as reasonably practicable after written request therefor, any Information relating to time periods on or prior to the Distribution Date in the possession or under the control of such respective Group, which Nuance or SpinCo, or any member of its respective Group, as applicable, reasonably needs: (i) to comply with reporting, disclosure, filing or other requirements imposed on Nuance or SpinCo, or any member of its respective Group, as applicable (including under applicable securities Laws), by any national securities exchange or any Governmental Authority having jurisdiction over Nuance or SpinCo, or any member of its respective Group, as applicable; (ii) for use in any other judicial, regulatory, administrative or other proceeding or in order to satisfy audit, accounting, regulatory, litigation or other similar requirements; or (iii) to comply with its obligations under this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement; provided, that any
request for information pursuant to this Section 7.01 shall be made in good faith and limited to the extent reasonable to satisfy the good faith basis for such request. The receiving Party shall use any Information received pursuant to this Section 7.01(a) solely to the extent reasonably necessary to satisfy the applicable obligations or requirements described in clause (i), (ii) or (iii) of the immediately preceding sentence.
(b) In the event that either Nuance or SpinCo determines that the disclosure of any Information pursuant to Section 7.01(a) could be commercially detrimental, violate any Law or Contract or waive or jeopardize any attorney-client privilege, attorney work product protection or other similar privilege or doctrine, such Party shall not be required to provide access to or furnish such Information to the other Party; provided, however, that both Nuance and SpinCo shall take all commercially reasonable measures to permit compliance with Section 7.01(a) in a manner that avoids any such harm or consequence. Both Nuance and SpinCo intend that any provision of access to or the furnishing of Information pursuant to this Section 7.01 that would otherwise be within the ambit of any legal privilege shall not operate as waiver of such privilege.
Section 7.02 Ownership of Information. Any Information owned by one Group that is provided to the requesting Party hereunder shall be deemed to remain the property of the providing Party. Except as specifically set forth herein or in any Ancillary Agreement, nothing herein shall be construed as granting or conferring rights of license or otherwise in any such Information.
Section 7.03 Compensation for Providing Information. Nuance and SpinCo shall reimburse each other for the reasonable costs, if any, in complying with a request for Information pursuant to this Article VII (whether or not such Information was a SpinCo Asset or a Nuance Asset). Except as may be otherwise specifically provided elsewhere in this Agreement, such costs shall be computed in accordance with SpinCo's or Nuance's, as applicable, standard methodology and procedures, but shall not include any mark-up above actual costs.
Section 7.04 Record Retention. To facilitate the possible exchange of Information pursuant to this Article VII and other provisions of this Agreement, each Party shall use its reasonable best efforts to retain all Information in such Party's possession relating to the other Party or its businesses, Assets or Liabilities, this Agreement or the Ancillary Agreements in accordance with its respective record retention policies applicable to its own Information or such longer period as required by Law, this Agreement or the Ancillary Agreements. Each of Nuance and SpinCo shall use their reasonable best efforts to maintain and continue their respective Group's compliance with all "litigation holds" applicable to any Information in its possession for the pendency of the applicable matter.
Section 7.05 Accounting Information. Without limiting the generality of Section 7.01 but subject to Section 7.01(b):
(a) Until the end of the first full fiscal year occurring after the Distribution Date (and for a reasonable period of time afterwards or as required by Law for Nuance to prepare consolidated financial statements or complete a financial statement audit for any period during which the financial results of the SpinCo Group were consolidated with those of Nuance), SpinCo shall use its reasonable best efforts to enable Nuance to meet its timetable for
dissemination of its financial statements and to enable Nuance's auditors to timely complete their annual audit and quarterly reviews of financial statements. As part of such efforts, to the extent reasonably necessary for the preparation of financial statements or completing an audit or review of financial statements or an audit of internal control over financial reporting, (i) SpinCo shall authorize and direct its auditors to make available to Nuance's auditors, within a reasonable time prior to the date of Nuance's auditors' opinion or review report, both (x) the personnel who performed or will perform the annual audits and quarterly reviews of SpinCo and (y) work papers to the extent related to such annual audits and quarterly reviews, to enable Nuance's auditors to perform any procedures they consider reasonably necessary to take responsibility for the work of SpinCo's auditors as it relates to Nuance's auditors' opinion or report and (ii) until all governmental audits are complete, SpinCo shall provide reasonable access during normal business hours for Nuance's internal auditors, counsel and other designated representatives to (x) the premises of SpinCo and its Subsidiaries and all Information (and duplicating rights) within the knowledge, possession or control of SpinCo and its Subsidiaries and (y) the officers and employees of SpinCo and its Subsidiaries, so that Nuance may conduct reasonable audits relating to the financial statements provided by SpinCo and its Subsidiaries; provided, however, that such access shall not be unreasonably disruptive to the business and affairs of the SpinCo Group; provided, further, that, subject to Section 7.05(b), any request for access pursuant to this Section 7.05(a) shall be made in good faith and limited to the extent reasonable to satisfy the good faith basis for such request.
(b) Until the end of the first full fiscal year occurring after the Distribution Date (and for a reasonable period of time afterwards or as required by Law), Nuance shall use its reasonable best efforts to enable SpinCo to meet its timetable for dissemination of its financial statements and to enable SpinCo's auditors to timely complete their annual audit and quarterly reviews of financial statements. As part of such efforts, to the extent reasonably necessary for the preparation of financial statements or completing an audit or review of financial statements or an audit of internal control over financial reporting, (i) Nuance shall authorize and direct its auditors to make available to SpinCo's auditors, within a reasonable time prior to the date of SpinCo's auditors' opinion or review report, both (x) the personnel who performed or will perform the annual audits and quarterly reviews of Nuance and (y) work papers to the extent related to such annual audits and quarterly reviews, to enable SpinCo's auditors to perform any procedures they consider reasonably necessary to take responsibility for the work of Nuance's auditors as it relates to SpinCo's auditors' opinion or report and (ii) until all governmental audits are complete, Nuance shall provide reasonable access during normal business hours for SpinCo's internal auditors, counsel and other designated representatives to (x) the premises of Nuance and its Subsidiaries and all Information (and duplicating rights) within the knowledge, possession or control of Nuance and its Subsidiaries and (y) the officers and employees of Nuance and its Subsidiaries, so that SpinCo may conduct reasonable audits relating to the financial statements provided by Nuance and its Subsidiaries; provided, however, that such access shall not be unreasonably disruptive to the business and affairs of the Nuance Group.
(c) In order to enable the principal executive officer(s) and principal financial officer(s) (as such terms are defined in the rules and regulations of the Commission) of Nuance to make any certifications required of them under Section 302 or 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, SpinCo shall, within a reasonable period of time following a request from Nuance in anticipation of filing such reports, cause its principal executive officer(s) and principal
financial officer(s) to provide Nuance with certifications of such officers in support of the certifications of Nuance's principal executive officer(s) and principal financial officer(s) required under Section 302 or 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 with respect to (i) Nuance's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with respect to the fiscal quarter during which the Distribution Date occurs (unless such quarter is the fourth fiscal quarter), (ii) to the extent applicable, each subsequent fiscal quarter through the third fiscal quarter of the year in which the Distribution Date occurs and (iii) Nuance's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with respect to the fiscal year during which the Distribution Date occurs. Such certifications shall be provided in substantially the same form and manner as such SpinCo officers provided prior to the Distribution (reflecting any changes in certifications necessitated by the Spin-Off or any other transactions related thereto) or as otherwise agreed upon between Nuance and SpinCo.
Section 7.06 Limitations of Liability.
(a) Each of Nuance (on behalf of itself and each other member of the Nuance Group) and SpinCo (on behalf of itself and each other member of the SpinCo Group) understands and agrees that neither Party is representing or warranting in any way as to the accuracy or sufficiency of any Information exchanged or disclosed under this Agreement.
(b) Neither Nuance nor SpinCo shall have any Liability to the other Party in the event that any Information exchanged or provided pursuant to this Agreement that is an estimate or forecast, or that is based on an estimate or forecast, is found to be inaccurate in the absence of willful misconduct by the providing Person. Neither Nuance nor SpinCo shall have any Liability to the other Party if any Information is destroyed after reasonable best efforts by SpinCo or Nuance, as applicable, to comply with the provisions of Section 7.04.
Section 7.07 Production of Witnesses; Records; Cooperation.
(a) Without limiting any of the rights or obligations of the Parties pursuant to Section 7.01 or Section 7.04, after the Distribution Date, except in the case of an Adversarial Action or threatened or contemplated Adversarial Action, each of Nuance and SpinCo shall use their reasonable best efforts to make available, upon written request: (i) the former, current and future directors, officers, employees, other personnel and agents of the Persons in its respective Group (whether as witnesses or otherwise); and (ii) any books, records or other documents within its control or that it otherwise has the ability to make available, in each case, to the extent that such Person (giving consideration to business demands of such directors, officers, employees, other personnel and agents) or books, records or other documents may reasonably be required in connection with any Action, Commission comment or review or threatened or contemplated Action, Commission comment or review (including preparation for any such Action, Commission comment or review) in which either Nuance or SpinCo or any Person or Persons in its Group, as applicable, may from time to time be involved, regardless of whether such Action, Commission comment or review or threatened or contemplated Action, Commission comment or review is a matter with respect to which indemnification may be sought hereunder. The requesting Party shall bear all reasonable out-of-pocket costs and expenses in connection therewith.
(b) Without limiting the foregoing, Nuance and SpinCo shall use their reasonable best efforts to cooperate and consult with each other to the extent reasonably necessary
with respect to any Actions or threatened or contemplated Actions (including in connection with preparation for any such Action), other than an Adversarial Action or threatened or contemplated Adversarial Action.
(c) The obligation of Nuance and SpinCo, pursuant to this Section 7.07, to use their reasonable best efforts to make available former, current and future directors, officers, employees and other personnel and agents or provide witnesses and experts, except in the case of an Adversarial Action or threatened or contemplated Adversarial Action, is intended to be interpreted in a manner so as to facilitate cooperation and shall include the obligation to make available employees and other officers without regard to whether such individual or the employer of such individual could assert a possible business conflict. Without limiting the foregoing, each of Nuance and SpinCo agrees that neither it nor any Person or Persons in its respective Group will take any adverse action against any employee of its Group based on such employee's provision of assistance or information to each other pursuant to this Section 7.07.
Section 7.08 Privileged Matters.
(a) The Parties recognize that legal and other professional services that have been and will be provided prior to the Distribution (whether by outside counsel, in-house counsel or other legal professionals) have been and will be rendered for the collective benefit of Nuance and its Subsidiaries (in such capacity). Solely for purposes of asserting privileges which may be asserted under applicable law, and without limiting the provisions of Section 7.10, each of the members of the Nuance Group and the Spinco Group shall be deemed to have been the client in connection with such services with respect to periods prior to the Distribution. The Parties recognize that legal and other professional services will be provided following the Distribution, which services will be rendered solely for the benefit of the Nuance Group or the SpinCo Group, as the case may be.
(b) The Parties agree as follows:
(i) Nuance shall be entitled, in perpetuity, to control the assertion or waiver of all privileges and immunities in connection with any privileged Information that relates solely to the Nuance Business or the Distribution and not to the operations of the SpinCo Business, whether or not the privileged Information is in the possession or under the control of any member of the Nuance Group or any member of the SpinCo Group. Nuance shall also be entitled, in perpetuity, to control the assertion or waiver of all privileges and immunities in connection with any privileged Information that relates solely to any Nuance Assets or Nuance Liabilities, and not any SpinCo Assets or SpinCo Liabilities, in connection with any Actions that are now pending or may be asserted in the future, whether or not the privileged Information is in the possession or under the control of any member of the Nuance Group or any member of the SpinCo Group;
(ii) SpinCo shall be entitled, in perpetuity, to control the assertion or waiver of all privileges and immunities in connection with any privileged Information that relates solely to the operations of the SpinCo Business and not to the Nuance Business or the Distribution, whether or not the privileged Information is in the possession or under the control of any member of the SpinCo Group or any member of the
Nuance Group. SpinCo shall also be entitled, in perpetuity, to control the assertion or waiver of all privileges and immunities in connection with any privileged Information that relates solely to any SpinCo Assets or SpinCo Liabilities and not any Nuance Assets or Nuance Liabilities in connection with any Actions that are now pending or may be asserted in the future, whether or not the privileged Information is in the possession or under the control of any member of the SpinCo Group or any member of the Nuance Group; and
(iii) If the Parties do not agree as to whether certain information is privileged Information, then such Information shall be treated as privileged Information, and the Party that believes that such information is privileged Information shall be entitled to control the assertion or waiver of all privileges and immunities in connection with any such information until such time as it is finally judicially determined that such information is not privileged Information or unless the Parties otherwise agree.
(c) Subject to the remaining provisions of this Section 7.08, the Parties agree that Nuance shall be entitled, in perpetuity, to control the assertion or waiver of all privileges and immunities not allocated pursuant to Section 7.08(b) in connection with any Actions, or threatened or contemplated Actions, or other matters that involve both Parties (or one or more members of their respective Groups) and in respect of which both Parties have Liabilities under this Agreement. Upon the reasonable request of Nuance or SpinCo, in connection with any Action or threatened or contemplated Action contemplated by this Article VII, other than any Adversarial Action or threatened or contemplated Adversarial Action, Nuance and SpinCo will enter into a mutually acceptable common interest agreement so as to maintain to the extent practicable any applicable attorney-client privilege, work product immunity or similar privilege or immunity of any member of either Group.
(d) If any dispute arises between the Parties or any members of their respective Group regarding whether a privilege or immunity should be waived to protect or advance the interests of either Party or any member of their respective Groups, each Party agrees that it shall: (i) negotiate with the other Party in good faith; (ii) endeavor to minimize any prejudice to the rights of the other Party and the members of its Group; and (iii) not unreasonably withhold, delay or condition consent to any request for waiver by the other Party.
(e) Upon receipt by either Party, or by any member of its respective Group, of any subpoena, discovery or other request (or of written notice that it will receive or has received such subpoena, discovery or other request) that may reasonably be expected to result in the production or disclosure of privileged Information subject to a shared privilege or immunity or as to which the other Party has the sole right hereunder to assert a privilege or immunity, or if either Party obtains knowledge or becomes aware that any of its, or any member of its respective Group's, current or former directors, officers, agents or employees have received any subpoena, discovery or other requests (or have received written notice that they will receive or have received such subpoena, discovery or other requests) that may reasonably be expected to result in the production or disclosure of such privileged Information, such Party shall promptly notify the other Party of the existence of any such subpoena, discovery or other request and shall provide the other Party a reasonable opportunity to review the privileged Information and to assert any rights it or they may have, under this Section 7.08 or otherwise, to prevent the production or disclosure of such privileged Information; provided, that if such Party is prohibited by applicable Law from disclosing
the existence of such subpoena, discovery or other request, such Party shall provide written notice of such related information for which disclosure is not prohibited by applicable Law and use reasonable best efforts to inform the other Party of any related information such Party reasonably determines is necessary or appropriate for the other Party to be informed of to enable the other Party to review the privileged Information and to assert its rights, under this Section 7.08 or otherwise, to prevent the production or disclosure of such privileged Information.
(f) The Parties agree that their respective rights to any access to Information, witnesses and other Persons, the furnishing of notices and documents and other cooperative efforts between the Parties contemplated by this Agreement, and the transfer of privileged Information between the Parties and members of their respective Groups pursuant to this Agreement, shall not be deemed a waiver of any privilege that has been or may be asserted under this Agreement or otherwise. The Parties further agree that: (i) the exchange by one Party to the other Party of any Information that should not have been exchanged pursuant to the terms of Section 7.09 shall not be deemed to constitute a waiver of any privilege or immunity that has been or may be asserted under this Agreement or otherwise with respect to such privileged Information; and (ii) the Party receiving such privileged Information shall promptly return such privileged Information to the Party who has the right to assert the privilege or immunity.
Section 7.09 Confidential Information.
(a) Each of Nuance and SpinCo, on behalf of itself and each Person in its respective Group, shall hold, and cause its respective directors, officers, employees, agents, accountants, subcontractors, counsel and other advisors and representatives (each, a "Representative") to hold, in strict confidence, not release or disclose and protect with at least the same degree of care, but no less than a reasonable degree of care, that it applies to its own confidential and proprietary information pursuant to policies in effect as of the Distribution Date, all confidential or proprietary Information concerning the other Group or its business that is either in its possession (including such Information in its possession prior to the Distribution) or furnished by the other Group or its respective Representatives at any time pursuant to this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement, and shall not use any such Information other than for such purposes as shall be expressly permitted hereunder or thereunder, except, in each case, to the extent that such Information is: (i) in the public domain through no fault of any member of the Nuance Group or the SpinCo Group, as applicable, or any of its respective Representatives; (ii) later lawfully acquired from other sources by any of Nuance, SpinCo or its respective Group, Representatives, as applicable, which sources are not themselves bound by a confidentiality obligation to the knowledge of any of Nuance, SpinCo or Persons in its respective Group, as applicable; (iii) independently generated after the date hereof without reference to any proprietary or confidential Information of the Nuance Group or the SpinCo Group, as applicable; or (iv) required to be disclosed by Law; provided, however, that the Person required to disclose such Information gives the applicable Person prompt and, to the extent reasonably practicable and legally permissible, prior notice of such disclosure and an opportunity to contest such disclosure and shall use reasonable best efforts to cooperate, at the expense of the requesting Person, in seeking any reasonable protective arrangements requested by such Person. In the event that such appropriate protective order or other remedy is not obtained, the Person that is required to disclose such Information shall furnish, or cause to be furnished, only that portion of such Information that is legally required to be disclosed and shall use reasonable best efforts to ensure that confidential
treatment is accorded such Information. Notwithstanding the foregoing, each of Nuance and SpinCo may release or disclose, or permit to be released or disclosed, any such confidential or proprietary Information concerning the other Group (x) to their respective Representatives who need to know such Information (who shall be advised of the obligations hereunder with respect to such Information) and (y) to any nationally recognized statistical rating organization as it reasonably deems necessary, solely for the purpose of obtaining a rating of securities or other debt instruments upon normal terms and conditions; provided, however, that, with respect to clause (x) hereof: (i) such Representatives shall keep such Information confidential and will not disclose such Information to any other Person; (ii) such Representatives shall not use such non-public information in a manner that is detrimental to the interests of the Party whose Information is being disclosed; and (iii) each Party agrees that it is responsible to the other Party for any action or failure to act that would constitute a breach or violation of this Section 7.09(a) by any such Representative; and, with respect to clause (y) hereof, the Party whose Information is being disclosed or released to such rating organization is promptly notified thereof.
(b) Without limiting the foregoing, when any confidential or proprietary Information concerning the other Group or its business is no longer needed for the purposes contemplated by this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement, each of Nuance and SpinCo will, promptly after the request of the other Party, either return all such Information in a tangible form (including all copies thereof and all notes, extracts or summaries based thereon) or certify to the other Party, as applicable, that it has destroyed such Information, other than, in each case, any such Information electronically preserved or recorded within any computerized data storage device or component (including any hard-drive or database) pursuant to automatic or routine backup procedures generally accessible only by legal, IT or compliance personnel.
(c) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement and without prejudice to whether any such device would constitute a SpinCo Asset, SpinCo shall, and shall cause its Group members and their respective employees and other personnel to, at SpinCo's sole cost and expense, promptly provide to Nuance any personal computing devices, mobile devices, data storage equipment or devices or other similar equipment or devices used in the SpinCo Business as may be requested by Nuance in connection with obtaining, removing, deleting, copying or otherwise accessing therefrom, or confirming the absence therein of, any Information of or related to the Nuance Business or for any other valid business purpose. If requested by SpinCo, Nuance shall, at Nuance's election, return such device upon completion of Nuance's use thereof or provide a suitable replacement or cost reimbursement therefor. In addition and without limiting the foregoing, SpinCo shall, and shall cause its Group members and their respective employees and other personnel to, at SpinCo's sole cost and expense, promptly provide to Nuance any such Information of or related to the Nuance Business in any of their respective possession or control, or, subject to SpinCo's rights thereto under the Intellectual Property Agreement (if applicable), permanently delete and destroy the same and certify (and represent) such deletion and destruction to Nuance in writing, executed by an executive officer of SpinCo, in each case as may be requested by Nuance.
Section 7.10 Conflicts Waiver. Each of the Parties acknowledges, on behalf of itself and each other member of its Group, notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, that Nuance has retained Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and Baker McKenzie (collectively, the "Known Counsel") to act as its counsel in connection with this
Agreement, the Ancillary Agreements and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby. SpinCo hereby agrees on behalf of itself and each member of its Group that, notwithstanding anything to contrary contained herein, in the event that a dispute arises between or among (x) any member of the SpinCo Group, any SpinCo Indemnitee or any of their respective Affiliates, on the one hand, and (y) any member of the Nuance Group, any Nuance Indemnitee or any of their respective Affiliates, on the other hand, any Known Counsel may represent any member of the Nuance Group, any Nuance Indemnitee or any of their respective Affiliates in such dispute even though the interests of such Person may be directly adverse to any Person described in clause (x), and even though such Known Counsel may have represented a Person described in clause (x), in a matter substantially related to such dispute, or may be handling ongoing matters for a Person described in clause (x), and SpinCo hereby waives, on behalf of itself and each other Person described in clause (x), as applicable, any conflict of interest in connection with such representation by such Known Counsel. Each of SpinCo and Nuance, on behalf of itself and each other member of its Group, agrees to take, and to cause their respective then-Affiliates to take, all steps necessary to implement the intent of this Section 7.10. Each of SpinCo and Nuance, on behalf of itself and each other member of its Group, further agrees that each Known Counsel and its respective partners and employees are third party beneficiaries of this Section 7.10.
Section 8.01 Maintenance of Insurance. Until the Distribution Date, Nuance shall (i) cause the members of the SpinCo Group and their respective employees, officers and directors to continue to be covered as insured parties under Nuance's policies of insurance in a manner which is no less favorable than the coverage provided for the Nuance Group and (ii) permit the members of the SpinCo Group and their respective employees, officers and directors to submit claims relating to, arising out of or resulting from facts, circumstances, events or matters that occurred prior to the Distribution Date to the extent permitted under such policies. With respect to policies currently procured by SpinCo for the sole benefit of the SpinCo Group, SpinCo shall continue to maintain such insurance coverage through the Distribution Date in a manner no less favorable than currently provided. Except as otherwise expressly permitted in this Article VIII, Nuance and SpinCo acknowledge that, as of immediately prior to the Distribution Date, Nuance intends to take such action as it may deem necessary or desirable to remove the members of the SpinCo Group and their respective employees, officers and directors as insured parties under any policy of insurance issued to any member of the Nuance Group by any insurance carrier effective immediately prior to the Distribution Date. The SpinCo Group will not be entitled on or following the Distribution Date, absent mutual agreement otherwise, to make any claims for insurance thereunder to the extent such claims are based upon facts, circumstances, events or matters occurring on or after the Distribution Date or, subject to Section 8.02, to the extent any claims are made pursuant to any Nuance claims-made policies on or after the Distribution Date. No member of the Nuance Group shall be deemed to have made any representation or warranty as to the availability of any coverage under any such insurance policy. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Nuance shall, and shall cause the other members of the Nuance Group to, use reasonable best efforts to cause all insurance policies of the Nuance Group that immediately prior to the Distribution provide coverage to or with respect to the members of the SpinCo Group and their respective employees, officers and directors to continue to provide such coverage with respect to
acts, omissions or events occurring prior to the Distribution in accordance with their terms as if the Distribution had not occurred; provided, however, that in no event shall Nuance be required to extend or maintain coverage under claims-made policies with respect to any claims first made against a member of the SpinCo Group or first reported to the insurer on or after the Distribution.
Section 8.02 Claims Under Nuance Insurance Policies.
(a) On and after the Distribution Date, the members of each of the Nuance Group and the SpinCo Group shall have the right to assert Nuance Policy Pre-Separation Insurance Claims and the members of the SpinCo Group shall have the right to participate with Nuance to resolve Nuance Policy Pre-Separation Insurance Claims under the applicable Nuance insurance policies up to the full extent of the applicable and available limits of liability of such policy. Nuance shall have primary control over those Nuance Policy Pre-Separation Insurance Claims for which the Nuance Group or the SpinCo Group, respectively, bears the underlying loss, subject to the terms and conditions of the relevant policy of insurance governing such control. If a member of the SpinCo Group is unable to assert a Nuance Policy Pre-Separation Insurance Claim because it is no longer an "insured" under a Nuance insurance policy, then Nuance shall, to the extent permitted by applicable Law and the terms of such insurance policy, assert such claim in its own name and deliver the Insurance Proceeds to SpinCo.
(b) With respect to Nuance Policy Pre-Separation Insurance Claims, whether or not known or reported on or prior to the Distribution Date, SpinCo shall, or shall cause the applicable member of the SpinCo Group to, report such claims arising from the SpinCo Business as soon as practicable to each of Nuance and the applicable insurer(s), and SpinCo shall, or shall cause the applicable member of SpinCo Group to, individually, and not jointly, assume and be responsible (including, upon the request of Nuance, by reimbursement to Nuance for amounts paid or payable by it) for the reimbursement liability (including any deductible, coinsurance or retention payment) related to its portion of the liability, unless otherwise agreed in writing by Nuance. Each of Nuance and SpinCo shall, and shall cause each member of the Nuance Group and SpinCo Group, respectively, to, cooperate and assist the applicable member of the SpinCo Group and the Nuance Group, as applicable, with respect to such claims. The applicable member of the SpinCo Group shall provide to Nuance any collateral (or a letter of credit in an amount equal to the value of such collateral) in respect of the reimbursement obligations as may reasonably be requested by the insurers and, upon the request of Nuance, any other collateral required by the insurers in respect of insurance policies under which Nuance Policy Pre-Separation Insurance Claims may be recoverable based upon Nuance's reasonable estimate of the proportion of the requested collateral attributable to claims that may be made by the SpinCo Group. Nuance agrees that Nuance Policy Pre-Separation Insurance Claims of members of the SpinCo Group shall receive the same priority as Nuance Policy Pre-Separation Insurance Claims of members of the Nuance Group and be treated equitably in all respects, including in connection with deductibles, retentions and coinsurance.
Section 8.03 Claims Under SpinCo Insurance Policies.
(a) On and after the Distribution Date, the members of each of the SpinCo Group and the Nuance Group shall have the right to assert SpinCo Policy Pre-Separation Insurance Claims and the members of the Nuance Group shall have the right to participate with
SpinCo to resolve SpinCo Policy Pre-Separation Insurance Claims under the applicable SpinCo insurance policies up to the full extent of the applicable and available limits of liability of such policy. SpinCo or Nuance, as the case may be, shall have primary control over those SpinCo Policy Pre-Separation Insurance Claims for which the SpinCo Group or the Nuance Group, respectively, bears the underlying loss, subject to the terms and conditions of the relevant policy of insurance governing such control. If a member of the Nuance Group is unable to assert a SpinCo Policy Pre-Separation Insurance Claim because it is no longer an "insured" under a SpinCo insurance policy, then SpinCo shall, to the extent permitted by applicable Law and the terms of such insurance policy, assert such claim in its own name and deliver the Insurance Proceeds to Nuance.
(b) With respect to SpinCo Policy Pre-Separation Insurance Claims, whether or not known or reported on or prior to the Distribution Date, Nuance shall, or shall cause the applicable member of the Nuance Group to, report such claims arising from the Nuance Business as soon as practicable to each of SpinCo and the applicable insurer(s), and Nuance shall, or shall cause the applicable member of Nuance Group to, individually, and not jointly, assume and be responsible (including, upon the request of SpinCo, by reimbursement to SpinCo for amounts paid or payable by it) for the reimbursement liability (including any deductible, coinsurance or retention payment) related to its portion of the liability, unless otherwise agreed in writing by SpinCo. Each of SpinCo and Nuance shall, and shall cause each member of the SpinCo Group and Nuance Group, respectively, to, cooperate and assist the applicable member of the Nuance Group and the SpinCo Group, as applicable, with respect to such claims. The applicable member of the Nuance Group shall provide to SpinCo any collateral (or a letter of credit in an amount equal to the value of such collateral) in respect of the reimbursement obligations as may reasonably be requested by the insurers and, upon the request of SpinCo, any other collateral required by the insurers in respect of insurance policies under which SpinCo Policy Pre-Separation Insurance Claims may be recoverable based upon SpinCo's reasonable estimate of the proportion of the requested collateral attributable to claims that may be made by the Nuance Group. SpinCo agrees that SpinCo Policy Pre-Separation Insurance Claims of members of the Nuance Group shall receive the same priority as SpinCo Policy Pre-Separation Insurance Claims of members of the SpinCo Group and be treated equitably in all respects, including in connection with deductibles, retentions and coinsurance.
Section 8.04 Insurance Proceeds. Except as set forth on Schedule XXIII, any Insurance Proceeds received by the Nuance Group for members of the SpinCo Group or by the SpinCo Group for members of the Nuance Group shall be for the benefit, respectively, of the SpinCo Group (in the former case) or the Nuance Group (in the latter case). Any Insurance Proceeds received for the benefit of both the Nuance Group and the SpinCo Group shall be distributed pro rata based on the respective share of the underlying loss.
Section 8.05 Claims Not Reimbursed. Nuance shall not be liable to SpinCo for claims, or portions of claims, not reimbursed by insurers under any policy for any reason, including coinsurance provisions, deductibles, quota share deductibles, self-insured retentions, bankruptcy or insolvency of any insurance carrier(s), policy limitations or restrictions (including exhaustion of limits), any coverage disputes, any failure to timely file a claim by any member of the Nuance Group or any member of the SpinCo Group or any defect in such claim or its processing. In the event that insurable claims of both Nuance and SpinCo (or the members of their
respective Groups) exist relating to the same occurrence, the Parties shall jointly defend and waive any conflict of interest necessary to the conduct of the joint defense and shall not settle or compromise any such claim without the consent of the other (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable insurance policy). Nothing in this Section 8.05 shall be construed to limit or otherwise alter in any way the obligations of the Parties, including those created by this Agreement, by operation of Law or otherwise.
Section 8.06 D&O Policies. On and after the Distribution Date, Nuance shall not, and shall cause the members of the Nuance Group not to, take any action that would limit the coverage of the individuals who acted as directors or officers of SpinCo (or members of the SpinCo Group) prior to the Distribution Date under any directors and officers liability insurance policies or fiduciary liability insurance policies (collectively, "D&O Policies") maintained by the members of the Nuance Group in respect of claims relating to a period prior to the Distribution Date. Nuance shall, and shall cause the members of the Nuance Group to, reasonably cooperate with the individuals who acted as directors or officers of SpinCo (or members of the SpinCo Group) prior to the Distribution Date in their pursuit of any coverage claims under such D&O Policies which could inure to the benefit of such individuals. Nuance shall, and shall cause members of the Nuance Group to, allow SpinCo and its agents and representatives, upon reasonable prior notice and during regular business hours, to examine the relevant D&O Policies maintained by Nuance and members of the Nuance Group pursuant to this Section 8.06. Nuance shall provide, and shall cause other members of the Nuance Group to provide, such cooperation as is reasonably requested by SpinCo in order for SpinCo to have in effect on and after the Distribution Date such new D&O Policies as SpinCo deems appropriate with respect to claims reported on or after the Distribution Date. Except as provided in this Section 8.06, the Nuance Group may, at any time, without liability or obligation to the SpinCo Group, amend, commute, terminate, buy-out, extinguish liability under or otherwise modify any "occurrence-based" insurance policy or "claims-made-based" insurance policy (and such claims will be subject to any such amendments, commutations, terminations, buy-outs, extinguishments and modifications); provided, however, that Nuance will notify SpinCo of any termination of any insurance policy.
Section 8.07 Insurance Cooperation. The Parties shall use reasonable best efforts to cooperate with respect to the various insurance matters contemplated by this Article VIII.
FURTHER ASSURANCES AND ADDITIONAL COVENANTS
Section 9.01 Further Assurances.
(a) In addition to the actions specifically provided for elsewhere in this Agreement, but subject to the express limitations of this Agreement and of the Ancillary Agreements, each of the Parties shall, subject to Section 5.03, use reasonable best efforts, prior to, on and after the Distribution Date, to take, or cause to be taken, all actions, and to do, or cause to be done, all things, reasonably necessary, proper or advisable under applicable Laws and agreements to consummate, and make effective, the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(b) Without limiting the foregoing, but subject to the express limitations of this Agreement and of the Ancillary Agreements, prior to, on and after the Distribution Date, each Party shall cooperate with the other Party, without any further consideration, but at the expense of the requesting Party: (i) to execute and deliver, or use reasonable best efforts to execute and deliver, or cause to be executed and delivered, all instruments, including any instruments of conveyance, assignment and transfer as such Party may reasonably be requested to execute and deliver by the other Party; (ii) to make, or cause to be made, all filings with, and to obtain, or cause to be obtained, all Consents of any Governmental Authority or any other Person under any permit, license, Contract, indenture or other instrument; (iii) to obtain, or cause to be obtained, any Governmental Approvals or other Consents required to effect the Spin-Off; and (iv) to take, or cause to be taken, all such other actions as such Party may reasonably be requested to take by the other Party from time to time, consistent with the terms of this Agreement and the Ancillary Agreements, in order to effectuate the provisions and purposes of this Agreement, the Ancillary Agreements and any transfers of Assets or assignments and assumptions of Liabilities hereunder and the other transactions contemplated hereby.
(c) On or prior to the Distribution Date, Nuance and SpinCo, in their respective capacities as direct and indirect stockholders of their respective Subsidiaries, shall each ratify any actions that are reasonably necessary or desirable to be taken by SpinCo or any other Subsidiary of Nuance, as the case may be, to effectuate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(d) Prior to the Distribution, if either Party identifies any commercial or other service that is needed to ensure a smooth and orderly transition of its business in connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, and that is not otherwise governed by the provisions of this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement, the Parties will cooperate in good faith to determine whether there is a mutually acceptable arm's-length basis on which the other Party will provide such service.
Section 9.02 Non-Solicit.
(a) SpinCo agrees that, for a period of 8 months following the Distribution Date, it shall not, and shall cause its Subsidiaries and Affiliates not to, without the prior written consent of Nuance, directly or indirectly, on its own behalf or in the service or on behalf of others, hire or attempt to hire, whether as an employee, consultant, independent contractor or otherwise, any employee or consultant of the Nuance Group.
(b) Nuance agrees that, for a period of 8 months following the Distribution Date, it shall not, and shall cause its Subsidiaries and Affiliates not to, without the prior written consent of SpinCo, directly or indirectly, on its own behalf or in the service or on behalf of others, hire or attempt to hire, whether as an employee, consultant, independent contractor or otherwise, any employee or consultant of the SpinCo Group.
(c) If a final and non-appealable judicial determination is made that any provision of this Section 9.02 constitutes an unreasonable or otherwise unenforceable restriction with respect to any particular jurisdiction, the provisions of this Section 9.02 will not be rendered void but will be deemed to be modified solely with respect to the applicable jurisdiction to the minimum extent necessary to remain in force and effect for the greatest period and to the greatest extent that such court determines constitutes a reasonable restriction under the circumstances.
Section 10.01 Termination. This Agreement may be terminated by Nuance at any time, in its sole discretion, prior to the Distribution.
Section 10.02 Effect of Termination. In the event of any termination of this Agreement prior to the Distribution, neither Party (nor any member of their Group or any of their respective directors or officers) shall have any Liability or further obligation to the other Party or any member of its Group under this Agreement or the Ancillary Agreements.
Section 11.01 Counterparts; Entire Agreement; Corporate Power.
(a) This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, all of which counterparts shall be considered one and the same agreement, and shall become effective when one or more counterparts have been signed by each Party and delivered to the other Party. This Agreement may be executed by facsimile or PDF signature and scanned and exchanged by electronic mail, and such facsimile or PDF signature or scanned and exchanged copies shall constitute an original for all purposes.
(b) This Agreement, the Ancillary Agreements and the Appendices, Exhibits and Schedules hereto and thereto contain the entire agreement between the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede all previous agreements, negotiations, discussions, writings, understandings, commitments and conversations with respect to such subject matter, and there are no agreements or understandings between the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof other than those set forth or referred to herein or therein. In the event of conflict or inconsistency between the provisions of this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement, on the one hand, and the provisions of any Local Transfer Agreement, on the other hand, the provisions of this Agreement and any such any Ancillary Agreement shall prevail and remain in full force and effect; without limiting the foregoing, no Assets or Liabilities, other than SpinCo Assets and SpinCo Liabilities (in each case, as defined in this Agreement), shall be transferred by Seller (as defined in the Local Transfer Agreements) or accepted by Buyer (as defined in the Local Transfer Agreements) under the Local Transfer Agreements notwithstanding anything to the contrary therein (including the definition of SpinCo Assets and SpinCo Liabilities (in each case, as defined in the Local Transfer Agreements)). Each Party hereto shall, and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to, implement the provisions of and the transactions contemplated by the Local Transfer Agreement in accordance with the immediately preceding sentence.
(c) Nuance represents on behalf of itself and each other member of the Nuance Group, and SpinCo represents on behalf of itself and each other member of the SpinCo Group, as follows:
(i) each such Person has the requisite corporate or other power and authority and has taken all corporate or other action necessary in order to execute, deliver and perform each of this Agreement and each Ancillary Agreement to which it is a party and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby; and
(ii) this Agreement and each Ancillary Agreement to which it is a party has been (or, in the case of any Ancillary Agreement, will be on or prior to the Distribution Date) duly executed and delivered by it and constitutes, or will constitute, a valid and binding agreement of it enforceable in accordance with the terms thereof.
Section 11.02 Dispute Resolution. In furtherance of the provisions set forth in Section 6.02 and Section 6.03, in the event that either Party, acting reasonably, forms the view that
another Party has caused a material breach of the terms of this Agreement, then the Party that forms such a view shall serve written notice of the alleged breach on the other Party and the Parties shall work together in good faith to resolve any such alleged breach within thirty (30) days of such notice (a "Dispute"). If any such alleged breach is not so resolved, then a senior executive of each Party shall, in good faith, attempt to resolve any such alleged breach within the following thirty (30) days of the referral of the matter to the senior executives. If no resolution is reached with respect to any such alleged breach in accordance with the procedures contained in this Section 11.02, then the Parties may seek to resolve such matter in accordance with Section 6.02, Section 6.03, Section 11.03, Section 11.04, Section 11.05 and Section 11.06.
Section 11.03 Governing Law; Jurisdiction. Any disputes relating to, arising out of or resulting from this Agreement, including to its execution, performance, or enforcement, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the Laws of the State of Delaware, regardless of the Laws that might otherwise govern under applicable principles of conflicts of Laws thereof. Each Party irrevocably consents to the exclusive jurisdiction, forum and venue of the Delaware Court of Chancery (and if the Delaware Court of Chancery shall be unavailable, any Delaware State court or the federal court sitting in the State of Delaware) over any and all claims, disputes, controversies or disagreements between the Parties or any of their respective Affiliates, successors and assigns under or related to this Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby, including their execution, performance or enforcement, whether in contract, tort or otherwise. Each of the Parties hereby agrees that it shall not assert, and shall hereby waive, any claim or right or defense that it is not subject to the jurisdiction of such courts, that the venue is improper, that the forum is inconvenient or any similar objection, claim or argument. Each Party agrees that a final judgment in any legal proceeding resolved in accordance with this Section 11.03, Section 11.04, Section 11.05 and Section 11.06 shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by applicable Law.
Section 11.04 Waiver of Jury Trial. EACH PARTY HEREBY WAIVES ITS RIGHTS TO A JURY TRIAL OF ANY CLAIM OR CAUSE OF ACTION RELATING TO, ARISING OUT OF OR RESULTING FROM THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY INCLUDING THEIR EXECUTION, PERFORMANCE OR ENFORCEMENT, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE. THE SCOPE OF THIS WAIVER IS INTENDED TO BE ALL-ENCOMPASSING OF ANY AND ALL DISPUTES THAT MAY BE FILED IN ANY COURT AND THAT RELATE TO THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS TRANSACTION, INCLUDING CONTRACT CLAIMS, TORT CLAIMS (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), BREACH OF DUTY CLAIMS AND ALL OTHER COMMON LAW AND STATUTORY CLAIMS. THIS SECTION HAS BEEN FULLY DISCUSSED BY EACH OF THE PARTIES AND THESE PROVISIONS WILL NOT BE SUBJECT TO ANY EXCEPTIONS.
Section 11.05 Court-Ordered Interim Relief. In accordance with Section 11.03 and Section 11.04, at any time after giving notice of a Dispute, each Party shall be entitled to interim measures of protection duly granted by a court of competent jurisdiction: (1) to preserve the status quo pending resolution of the Dispute; (2) to prevent the destruction or loss of documents and other information or things relating to the Dispute; or (3) to prevent the transfer, disposition or hiding of assets. Any such interim measure (or a request therefor to a court of competent jurisdiction) shall not be deemed incompatible with the provisions of Section 11.02, Section 11.03
and Section 11.04. Until such Dispute is resolved in accordance with Section 11.02 or final judgment is rendered in accordance with Section 11.03 and Section 11.04, each Party agrees that such Party shall continue to perform its obligations under this Agreement and that such obligations shall not be subject to any defense or setoff, counterclaim, recoupment or termination.
Section 11.06 Specific Performance. Subject to Section 11.02 and Section 11.05, in the event of any actual or threatened default in, or breach of, any of the terms, conditions and provisions of this Agreement, the affected Party shall have the right to specific performance and injunctive or other equitable relief of its rights under this Agreement, in addition to any and all other rights and remedies at Law or in equity, and all such rights and remedies shall be cumulative. The other Party shall not oppose the granting of such relief on the basis that money damages are an adequate remedy. The Parties agree that the remedies at Law for any breach or threatened breach hereof, including monetary damages, are inadequate compensation for any loss and that any defense in any action for specific performance that a remedy at Law would be adequate is waived. Any requirements for the securing or posting of any bond or similar security with such remedy are waived.
Section 11.07 Assignability. Neither this Agreement nor any of the rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement shall be assigned, in whole or in part, by operation of Law or otherwise by either Party without the prior written consent of the other Party. Any purported assignment without such consent shall be void. Subject to the preceding sentences, this Agreement will be binding upon, inure to the benefit of, and be enforceable by, the Parties and their respective successors and assigns. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any Party to this Agreement (or any of its successors or permitted assigns) (a) shall enter into a consolidation or merger transaction in which such Party is not the surviving entity and the surviving entity acquires or assumes all or substantially all of such Party's Assets or (b) shall transfer all or substantially all of such Party's Assets to any Person, then, in each such case, the assigning Party (or its successors or permitted assigns, as applicable) shall ensure that the assignee or successor-in-interest expressly assumes in writing all of the obligations of the assigning Party under this Agreement, and the assigning Party shall not be required to seek consent, but shall provide written notice and evidence of such assignment, assumption or succession to the non-assigning Party. No assignment permitted by this Section 11.07 shall release the assigning Party from liability for the full performance of its obligations under this Agreement.
Section 11.08 Third-Party Beneficiaries. Except as expressly set forth in Section 7.10 and for the indemnification rights under this Agreement of any Nuance Indemnitee or SpinCo Indemnitee in his, her or its respective capacities as such, (a) the provisions of this Agreement are solely for the benefit of the Parties hereto and are not intended to confer upon any Person except the Parties hereto any rights or remedies hereunder and (b) there are no third-party beneficiaries of this Agreement and this Agreement shall not provide any third person with any remedy, claim, liability, reimbursement, cause of action or other right in excess of those existing without reference to this Agreement.
Section 11.09 Notices. All notices or other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to be duly given (a) when delivered in person, (b) on the date received, if sent by a nationally recognized delivery or courier service, (c) upon written confirmation of receipt after transmittal by electronic mail or (d) upon the earlier of
confirmed receipt or the fifth (5th) business day following the date of mailing if sent by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid and addressed as follows:
If to Nuance, to:
1 Wayside Road
Attn: Wendy Cassity, EVP and Chief Legal Officer
David Garfinkel, SVP Corporate Development
email: wendy.cassity@nuance.com
david.garfinkel@nuance.com
with a copy to:
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
Attn: Scott A. Barshay
Steven J. Williams
email: sbarshay@paulweiss.com
swilliams@paulweiss.com
mvogel@paulweiss.com
If to SpinCo, to:
Attn: Leanne Fitzgerald, General Counsel
Mark Gallenberger, Chief Financial Officer
email: leanne.fitzgerald@cerence.com
mark.gallenberger@cerence.com
Either Party may, by notice to the other Party, change the address and identity of the Person to which such notices and copies of such notices are to be given. Each Party agrees that nothing in this Agreement shall affect the other Party's right to serve process in any other manner permitted by Law (including pursuant to the rules for foreign service of process authorized by the Hague Convention).
Section 11.10 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement or the application thereof to any Person or circumstance is determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remaining provisions hereof, or the application of such provision to Persons or circumstances, or in jurisdictions other than those as to which it has been held invalid or unenforceable, shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated thereby, so long as the economic or legal substance of the transactions contemplated hereby is not affected in any manner materially adverse to either Party. Upon any such determination, any such provision, to the extent determined to be invalid, void or unenforceable, shall be deemed replaced by a provision that such court determines is valid and enforceable and that comes closest to expressing the intention of the invalid, void or unenforceable provision.
Section 11.11 Publicity. Each of Nuance and SpinCo shall consult with the other, and shall, subject to the requirements of Section 7.09, provide the other Party the opportunity to review and comment upon any press releases or other public statements in connection with the Spin-Off or any of the other transactions contemplated hereby and any filings with any Governmental Authority or national securities exchange with respect thereto, in each case prior to the issuance or filing thereof, as applicable (including the Information Statement, the Parties' respective Current Reports on Form 8-K to be filed on the Distribution Date, the Parties' respective Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with respect to the fiscal quarter during which the Distribution Date occurs, or if such quarter is the fourth fiscal quarter, the Parties' respective Annual Reports on Form 10-K filed with respect to the fiscal year during which the Distribution Date occurs (each such Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or Annual Report on Form 10-K, a "First Post-Distribution Report")). Each Party's obligations pursuant to this Section 11.11 shall terminate on the date on which such Party's First Post-Distribution Report is filed with the Commission.
Section 11.12 Expenses. Except as set forth on Schedule XXIV, as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement or in any Ancillary Agreement, (i) all third-party fees, costs and expenses incurred by
either the Nuance Group or the SpinCo Group in connection with effecting the Spin-Off prior to or on the Distribution Date, whether payable prior to, on or following the Distribution Date (but excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, any financing fees or interest payable in respect of any indebtedness incurred by SpinCo in connection with the Spin-Off), will be borne and paid by Nuance and (ii) all third-party fees, costs and expenses incurred by either the Nuance Group or the SpinCo Group in connection with effecting the Spin-Off following the Distribution Date, whether payable prior to, on or following the Distribution Date, will be borne and paid by the Party incurring such fee, cost or expense. For the avoidance of doubt, this Section 11.12 shall not affect each Party's responsibility to indemnify Nuance Liabilities or SpinCo Liabilities, as applicable, arising from the transactions contemplated by the Distribution.
Section 11.13 Headings. The article, section and paragraph headings contained in this Agreement, including in the table of contents of this Agreement, are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.
Section 11.14 Survival of Covenants. Except as expressly set forth in this Agreement, the covenants in this Agreement and the Liabilities for the breach of any obligations in this Agreement shall survive the Spin-Off and shall remain in full force and effect.
Section 11.15 Waivers of Default. No failure or delay of any Party (or the applicable member of its Group) in exercising any right or remedy under this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or power, or any abandonment or discontinuance of steps to enforce such right or power, or any course of conduct, preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right or power. Waiver by any Party of any default by the other Party of any provision of this Agreement shall not be deemed a waiver by the waiving Party of any subsequent or other default.
Section 11.16 Amendments. No provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed waived, amended, supplemented or modified by any Party, unless such waiver, amendment, supplement or modification is in writing and signed by the authorized representative of each Party.
Section 11.17 Interpretation. Words in the singular shall be held to include the plural and vice versa and words of one gender shall be held to include the other gender as the context requires. The terms "hereof," "herein," "herewith" and words of similar import, unless otherwise stated, shall be construed to refer to this Agreement as a whole (including all of the schedules hereto) and not to any particular provision of this Agreement. Article, Section or Schedule references are to the articles, sections and schedules of or to this Agreement unless otherwise specified. Any capitalized terms used in any Schedule to this Agreement or to any Ancillary Agreement but not otherwise defined therein shall have the meaning as defined in this Agreement or the Ancillary Agreement to which such Schedule is attached, as applicable. Any definition of or reference to any agreement, instrument or other document herein (including any reference herein to this Agreement) shall, unless otherwise stated, be construed as referring to such agreement, instrument or other document as from time to time amended, supplemented or otherwise modified (subject to any restrictions on such amendments, supplements or modifications set forth therein, including in Section 11.16 above). The word "including" and words of similar import when used in this Agreement shall mean "including, without limitation," unless the context otherwise requires or unless otherwise specified. The word "or" shall not be exclusive. The word "extent" in the phrase "to the extent" shall mean the degree to which a subject or other thing extends, and such phrase shall not mean simply "if." All references to "$" or dollar amounts are to the lawful currency of the United States of America. In the event that an ambiguity or question of intent or interpretation arises, this Agreement shall be construed as if drafted jointly by the Parties, and no presumption or burden of proof shall arise favoring or disfavoring either Party by virtue of the authorship of any provisions hereof.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused this Separation and Distribution Agreement to be executed by their duly authorized representatives.
/s/ Wendy Cassity
Name: Wendy Cassity
Title: Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer
/s/ Leanne Fitzgerald
Title: Vice President and Secretary
[Signature Page to Separation and Distribution Agreement]
AMENDED AND RESTATED
CERENCE INC., a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware, DOES HEREBY CERTIFY AS FOLLOWS:
1. The name of the corporation is Cerence Inc. The corporation was originally formed as a limited liability company in the State of Delaware on February 14, 2019. The corporation converted from a limited liability company to a corporation on August 29, 2019, upon the filing of the Certificate of Conversion with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware. The original Certificate of Incorporation of the corporation was filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on August 29, 2019 (as amended and in effect immediately prior to the adoption and effectiveness hereof, the "Original Certificate of Incorporation").
2. This Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation has been duly adopted in accordance with Sections 242 and 245 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the "DGCL"), and by the written consent of its sole stockholder in accordance with Section 228 of the DGCL, and shall be effective as of 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on October 1, 2019.
3. The Original Certificate of Incorporation is hereby amended and restated to read in its entirety as follows:
The name of the corporation (hereinafter called the "Corporation") is Cerence Inc.
The address of the Corporation's registered office in the State of Delaware is 1209 Orange Street, The Corporation Trust Center, Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware 19801. The name of the Corporation's registered agent at such address is The Corporation Trust Company.
The purpose of the Corporation is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized under the DGCL.
Section 4.1 The total number of shares of all classes of stock which the Corporation shall have authority to issue is 600,000,000 shares of capital stock, consisting of (a) 40,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share ("Preferred Stock"), and (b) 560,000,000 shares of Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share ("Common Stock"). The number of authorized shares of either the Preferred Stock or the Common Stock may be increased or decreased (but not below the number of shares thereof then outstanding) by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority in voting power of the stock of the Corporation entitled to vote thereon irrespective of the provisions of Section 242(b)(2) of the DGCL (or any successor provision thereto), voting as a single class, and no vote of the holders of either the Preferred Stock or the Common Stock voting separately as a class shall be required therefor.
Section 4.2 The Board of Directors of the Corporation (the "Board of Directors") is hereby expressly authorized, by resolution or resolutions and without stockholder approval, to provide, out of the unissued shares of Preferred Stock, for series of Preferred Stock and, with respect to each such series, to fix the number of shares constituting such series and the designation of such series, the voting powers (if any) of the shares of such series, and the preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights, if any, and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, of the shares of such series. The powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional and other special rights of each series of Preferred Stock, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, if any, may differ from those of any and all other series at any time outstanding.
Section 4.3 (a) Each holder of Common Stock, as such, shall be entitled to one vote for each share of Common Stock held of record by such holder on all matters on which stockholders generally are entitled to vote; provided, however, that, except as otherwise required by law, holders of Common Stock, as such, shall not be entitled to vote on any amendment to this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (including any Certificate of Designation relating to any series of Preferred Stock) that relates solely to the terms of one or more outstanding series of Preferred Stock if the holders of such affected series are entitled, either separately or together with the holders of one or more other such series, to vote thereon pursuant to this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (including any Certificate of Designation relating to any series of Preferred Stock) or pursuant to the DGCL.
(b) Except as otherwise required by law, holders of a series of Preferred Stock, as such, shall be entitled only to such voting rights, if any, as shall expressly be granted to such holders by this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (including any Certificate of Designation relating to such series).
(c) Subject to applicable law and the rights, if any, of the holders of any outstanding series of Preferred Stock, dividends may be declared and paid on the Common Stock at such times and in such amounts as the Board of Directors in its discretion shall determine.
(d) Upon the dissolution, liquidation or winding up of the Corporation, subject to the rights, if any, of the holders of any outstanding series of Preferred Stock, the holders of the Common Stock, as such, shall be entitled to receive the assets of the Corporation available for distribution to its stockholders ratably in proportion to the number of shares held by them. For the avoidance of doubt, a dissolution, liquidation or winding up shall not be deemed to be occasioned by or to include, without limitation, any voluntary consolidation, reorganization, conversion or merger of the Corporation with or into any other corporation or entity or other corporation or entities or a sale, lease, transfer, exchange or conveyance of all or a part of the Corporation's assets.
(e) Shares of Common Stock shall not entitle any holder thereof to any pre-emptive, subscription, redemption or conversion rights.
Section 5.1 (a) The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of the Board of Directors. Except as otherwise fixed pursuant to the terms of any outstanding series of Preferred Stock pursuant to this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (including any Certificate of Designation relating to such series of Preferred Stock), the number of directors of the Corporation shall be fixed from time to time by the Board of Directors. In no event shall a decrease in the number of directors constituting the Board of Directors shorten the term of any incumbent director.
(b) The directors, other than those who may be elected by the holders of any series of Preferred Stock voting separately pursuant to this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (including any Certificate of Designation relating to such series of Preferred Stock), shall be elected by the stockholders entitled to vote thereon at each annual meeting of the stockholders. From the effective date of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation until the election of the directors at the 2023 annual meeting of stockholders, the directors of the Corporation shall be divided into three classes, designated Class I, Class II and Class III. Each class shall consist, as nearly as may be possible, of one-third of the total number of directors constituting the entire Board of Directors. If the number of directors has changed, any increase or decrease shall be apportioned among the classes so as to maintain the number of directors in each class as nearly equal as possible, and any additional director of any class elected to fill a vacancy resulting from an increase in such class shall hold office for a term that shall coincide with the remaining term of that class. The initial assignment of directors to each such class shall be made by the Board of Directors. The term of office of the initial Class I directors shall expire at the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders, the term of office of the initial Class II directors shall expire at the 2021 annual meeting of stockholders and the term of office of the initial Class III directors shall expire at the 2022 annual meeting of stockholders. Each director elected at the 2020, 2021 or 2022 annual meeting of stockholders shall belong to the same class as the director whose term shall have then expired and who is being succeeded by such director. Each Class I director elected at the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders, each Class II director elected at the 2021 annual meeting of stockholders and each Class III director elected at the 2022 annual meeting of stockholders shall hold office until the 2023 annual meeting of stockholders and, in each case, until his or her respective
successor shall have been duly elected and qualified or until his or her earlier resignation or removal. Commencing with the 2023 annual meeting of stockholders, each director shall be elected annually and shall hold office until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until his or her respective successor shall have been duly elected and qualified or until his or her earlier resignation or removal. Pursuant to such procedures, effective as of the conclusion of the 2023 annual meeting of stockholders, the Board of Directors will no longer be classified under Section 141(d) of the DGCL and directors shall no longer be divided into three classes. The election of directors need not be by written ballot.
Section 5.2 Advance notice of nominations for the election of directors shall be given in the manner and to the extent provided in the By-laws of the Corporation.
Section 5.3 (a) Except as otherwise provided for or fixed by or pursuant to the provisions of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation relating to the rights of the holders of any outstanding series of Preferred Stock (including any Certificate of Designation relating to such series of Preferred Stock), newly created directorships resulting from any increase in the number of directors and any vacancies on the Board of Directors resulting from death, resignation, removal or other cause shall only be filled by the Board of Directors by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors then in office, even though less than a quorum of the Board of Directors, or by a sole remaining director. Any director elected in accordance with the first sentence of this Section 5.3 shall hold office until the earlier of the expiration of the term of office of the director he or she has replaced, a successor shall have been duly elected and qualified or until his or her death, resignation or removal.
(b) From the effective date of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation until the election of directors at the 2023 annual meeting of stockholders, any director or the entire Board of Directors may only be removed for cause, such removal to require the affirmative vote of shares representing at least a majority of the voting power of the then outstanding shares of all classes and series of capital stock of the Corporation entitled generally to vote on the election of directors of the Corporation. From and after the 2023 annual meeting of stockholders, any director or the entire Board of Directors may be removed with or without cause, and, in either case, such removal shall require the affirmative vote of shares representing at least a majority of the voting power of the then outstanding shares of all classes and series of capital stock of the Corporation entitled generally to vote on the election of directors of the Corporation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, whenever holders of outstanding shares of one or more series of Preferred Stock voting separately are entitled to elect directors of the Corporation pursuant to the provisions of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (including any Certificate of Designation relating to such series of Preferred Stock), any such director of the Corporation so elected may be removed in accordance with this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (including such Certificate of Designation).
Subject to the rights of the holders of any outstanding series of Preferred Stock, any action required or permitted to be taken by the stockholders of the Corporation must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of stockholders of the Corporation and may not be effected by any consent in writing by such stockholders. Except as otherwise required by law and subject to the rights of the holders of any outstanding series of Preferred Stock, special meetings of stockholders of the Corporation may only be called by the Chairman of the Board of Directors or the Board of Directors pursuant to a resolution approved by a majority of the entire Board of Directors (the entire Board of Directors being the total number of authorized directors, whether or not there exist any vacancies or unfilled previously authorized directorships) or as otherwise provided in the By-laws of the Corporation.
In furtherance and not in limitation of the powers conferred upon it by law, the Board of Directors is expressly authorized to adopt, repeal, alter or amend the By-laws of the Corporation by the vote of a majority of the entire Board of Directors (the entire Board of Directors being the total number of authorized directors, whether or not there exist any vacancies or unfilled previously authorized directorships). In addition to any requirements of law and any other provision of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (and notwithstanding the fact that a lesser percentage may be specified by law), the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the combined voting power of the then outstanding shares of all classes and series of capital stock of the Corporation entitled generally to vote in the election of directors of the Corporation, voting together as a single class, shall be required for stockholders to adopt, amend, alter or repeal any provision of the By-laws of the Corporation.
The Corporation reserves the right to amend, alter or repeal any provision contained in this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, in the manner now or hereafter prescribed by statute, and all rights conferred upon stockholders herein are subject to this reservation.
Section 9.1 To the fullest extent that the DGCL or any other law of the State of Delaware as it exists or as it may hereafter be amended permits the limitation or elimination of the liability of directors, no director of the Corporation shall be liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director.
Section 9.2 To the fullest extent that the DGCL or any other law of the State of Delaware as it exists or as it may hereafter be amended permits, including to the extent that such law or amendment permits the Corporation to provide broader indemnification rights than permitted prior to such law or amendment, the Corporation may provide indemnification of (and advancement of expenses to) (a) its current and former, and any predecessor to the Corporation's former, managers, directors, officers, employees and agents, (b) persons whose testators or intestates are a current or former director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation or any predecessor to the Corporation and (c) any other persons to which the DGCL permits the Corporation to provide indemnification through By-law provisions, agreements with such agents or other persons, votes of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise.
Section 9.3 No amendment to or repeal of any Section of this Article IX, nor the adoption of any provision of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation inconsistent with this Article IX, shall eliminate or reduce the effect of this Article IX, in respect of any matter occurring, or any action or proceeding accruing or arising, prior to such amendment, repeal or adoption of an inconsistent provision.
Unless the Corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum for (a) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Corporation, (b) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any current or former director, officer or other employee or stockholder of the Corporation to the Corporation or the Corporation's stockholders, (c) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL (or any successor provision thereto) or as to which the DGCL (or any successor provision thereto) confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, (d) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine or (e) any other action asserting an "internal corporate claim" as that term is defined in Section 115 of the DGCL shall be the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, in all cases to the fullest extent permitted by law, or, if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware does not have jurisdiction, any other state or federal court located within the State of Delaware.
The Corporation is to have perpetual existence.
ARTICLE XII
If any provision (or any part thereof) of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation shall be held invalid, illegal or unenforceable as applied to any circumstance for any reason whatsoever: (a) the validity, legality and enforceability of such provisions in any other circumstance and of the remaining provisions of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (including, without limitation, each portion of any section of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable that is not itself held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby and (b) to the fullest extent possible, the provisions of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (including, without limitation, each such portion of any section containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall be construed so as to permit the Corporation to protect its directors, officers, employees and agents from personal liability in respect of their good faith service or for the benefit of the Corporation to the fullest extent permitted by law.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Cerence Inc. has caused this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to be duly executed in its corporate name as of the date first written above.
AMENDED AND RESTATED BY-LAWS
Effective as of October 1, 2019
SECTION 1.1 Registered Office. The registered office of Cerence Inc. (hereinafter, the "Corporation") in the State of Delaware shall be at 1209 Orange Street, Corporation Trust Center, Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware 19801, and the registered agent shall be Corporation Trust Company, or such other office or agent as the Board of Directors of the Corporation (the "Board") shall from time to time select.
SECTION 1.2 Other Offices. The Corporation may also have an office or offices, and keep the books and records of the Corporation, except as may otherwise be required by law, at such other place or places, either within or outside of the State of Delaware, as the Board may from time to time determine or the business of the Corporation may require.
Meetings of Stockholders
SECTION 2.1 Place of Meeting. All meetings of the stockholders of the Corporation (the "stockholders") shall be at a place either within or outside of the State of Delaware, or by means of remote communication, to be determined by the Board and as specified in the notice of meeting. In the absence of such a determination, a meeting of stockholders shall be held at the principal executive office of the Corporation.
SECTION 2.2 Annual Meetings. The annual meeting of the stockholders for the election of directors and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the meeting shall be held on such date and at such hour as shall from time to time be fixed by the Board. Any previously scheduled annual meeting of the stockholders may be postponed, rescheduled or cancelled by action of the Board taken prior to the time previously scheduled for such annual meeting of the stockholders.
SECTION 2.3 Special Meetings.
(a) Except as otherwise required by law or the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation (the "Certificate"), and subject to the rights of the holders of any outstanding series of Preferred Stock, special meetings of the stockholders for any purpose or purposes may be called by the Chairperson of the Board or a majority of the Whole Board (as hereinafter defined). Subject to the satisfaction of the requirements of these bylaws, a special meeting of the stockholders shall be called by the
Chairperson of the Board upon the written request of holders of an aggregate of at least twenty percent (20%) of all of the votes entitled to be cast on any issue to be considered at the proposed special meeting (such a meeting, a "Stockholder Requested Special Meeting"). Only such business as is specified in the Corporation's notice of any special meeting of stockholders shall come before such meeting. A special meeting shall be held at such place (or remotely), on such date and at such time as shall be fixed by the Board. Any previously scheduled special meeting of the stockholders may be postponed, rescheduled or (except in the case of a Stockholder Requested Special Meeting) cancelled by action of the Board taken prior to the time previously scheduled for such special meeting of the stockholders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Chairman of the Board shall not be required to call a Stockholder Requested Special Meeting if (i) the Board has called or calls an annual meeting of stockholders to be held not later than ninety (90)days after the applicable stockholder request where the Board determines in good faith that the business of such annual meeting (among any other matters properly brought before the annual meeting) includes the business specified in the stockholders' request; (ii) an annual or special meeting that included the business specified in the request (as determined by the Board in good faith) was held not more than ninety (90) days before the applicable stockholder request; (iii) the request relates to an item of business that is not a proper subject for action by the stockholders of the corporation under applicable law; or (iv) was made in a manner that involved a violation of applicable law.
(b) Any request for a Stockholder Requested Special Meeting shall (i) be signed and dated by each requesting stockholder (or their duly authorized agents) and delivered to the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation, (ii) set forth a statement of the specific purpose or purposes of the proposed meeting and the matters proposed to be acted on at such meeting, and (iii) include the information that would be required in a Notice of Business (as defined below) pursuant to Section 2.7(c) of Article II of these bylaws with respect to an annual meeting, including with respect to the stockholders requesting the Stockholder Requested Special Meeting (treating such requesting stockholders as the Proponents thereunder), and any business proposed to be conducted. Any nomination of directors for election at a special meeting at which directors are to be elected shall be made in accordance with Section 3.3 of Article III of these bylaws. In addition, the stockholder and any duly authorized agent shall promptly provide any other information reasonably requested by the Corporation. A stockholder providing a request for business proposed to be brought before a Stockholder Requested Special Meeting shall update and supplement such request in accordance with Section 2.7(d).
(c) A stockholder may revoke a request for a Stockholder Requested Special Meeting at any time by written revocation delivered to the Secretary, and if, following such revocation there are un-revoked requests from stockholders holding in the aggregate less than the requisite number of shares entitling the stockholders to request the calling of a Stockholder Requested Special Meeting, the Board, in its discretion, may cancel the Stockholder Requested Special Meeting. If none of the stockholders who submitted the request for a Stockholder Requested Special Meeting appears or sends a qualified representative to present the nominations proposed to be presented or other business proposed to be conducted at such meeting, the Corporation need not present such nominations or other business for a vote at such meeting.
(d) Any Stockholder Requested Special Meeting shall be held at such date, time and place within or without the State of Delaware as may be fixed by the Board; provided, however, that the date of any Stockholder Requested Special Meeting shall be not more than sixty (60) days after the record date for such meeting.
SECTION 2.4 Notice of Meetings. Except as otherwise provided by law, notice, including by electronic transmission in the manner provided by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the "DGCL"), of each meeting of the stockholders, whether annual or special, shall be given by the Corporation not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days before the date of the meeting to each stockholder of record entitled to notice of the meeting. If mailed, such notice shall be deemed given when deposited in the United States mail, postage prepaid, directed to the stockholder at such stockholder's address as it appears on the records of the Corporation. Each such notice shall state the place (or, if applicable, that the meeting will be held remotely), the date and the hour of the meeting, and, in the case of a special meeting, the purpose or purposes for
which the meeting is called. Notice of any meeting of the stockholders shall not be required to be given to any stockholder who shall attend such meeting in person or by proxy without protesting, prior to or at the commencement of the meeting, the lack of proper notice to such stockholder, or who shall waive notice thereof as provided in Article X of these By-laws. Notice of adjournment of a meeting of the stockholders need not be given if the time and place, if any, to which it is adjourned are announced at such meeting, unless the adjournment is for more than 30 days or, after adjournment, a new record date is fixed for the adjourned meeting.
SECTION 2.5 Quorum. Except as otherwise provided by law or by the Certificate, the holders of a majority in voting power of the shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote at the meeting, present in person or by proxy, shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the stockholders; provided, however, that in the case of any vote to be taken by classes or series, the holders of a majority in voting power of the shares of any such class or series of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote at the meeting, present in person or by proxy, shall constitute a quorum of such class or series. A quorum, once established, shall not be broken by the withdrawal of enough votes to leave less than a quorum.
SECTION 2.6 Adjournments. The chairperson of the meeting or the holders of a majority in voting power of the shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote and who are present in person or by proxy may adjourn the meeting from time to time whether or not a quorum is present. In the event that a quorum does not exist with respect to any vote to be taken by a particular class or series, the chairperson of the meeting or the holders of a majority in voting power of the shares of such class or series who are present in person or by proxy may adjourn the meeting with respect to the vote(s) to be taken by such class or series. At any such adjourned meeting at which a quorum may be present, any business may be transacted which might have been transacted at the meeting as originally called.
SECTION 2.7 Order of Business.
(a) At each meeting of the stockholders, the Chairperson of the Board or, in the absence of the Chairperson of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer or, in the absence of the Chairperson of the Board and the Chief Executive Officer, such person as shall be selected by the Board, shall act as chairperson of the meeting. The order of business at each such meeting shall be as determined by the chairperson of the meeting. Business transacted at a Stockholder Requested Special Meeting shall be limited to the purposes described in the special meeting requested; provided, however, that nothing herein shall prohibit the Corporation from submitting matters to a vote of the stockholders at any Stockholder Requested Special Meeting. The chairperson of the meeting shall have the right and authority to prescribe such rules, regulations and procedures and to do all such acts and things as are necessary or desirable for the proper conduct of the meeting, including, without limitation, the establishment of procedures for the maintenance of order and safety, limitations on the time allotted to questions or comments on the affairs of the Corporation, restrictions on entry to such meeting after the time prescribed for the commencement thereof and the opening and closing of the voting polls.
(b) At any annual meeting of the stockholders, only such business shall be conducted as shall have been brought before the annual meeting (i) by or at the direction of the chairperson of the meeting or (ii) by any stockholder who is a holder of record at the time of the giving of the notice provided for in this Section 2.7, who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who complies with the procedures set forth in this Section 2.7 (such business, "Stockholder Business"). This Section 2.7 and Section 2.3 are the exclusive means by which a stockholder may bring business before a meeting of stockholders.
(c) For business (other than nominations for election of directors, which are governed by Section 3.3) properly to be brought before an annual meeting of stockholders by a stockholder, the stockholder must have given timely notice thereof (a "Notice of Business") in proper written form to the Secretary of the Corporation (the "Secretary"). To be timely, a Notice of Business must be delivered to or mailed and received by the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary of the date of the immediately preceding annual meeting as first specified in the Corporation's notice of meeting (without regard to any postponements or adjournments of such meeting after such notice was first sent); provided, however, that in the event that the date of the annual meeting is more than 30 days earlier or more than 60 days later than such anniversary date, a Notice of Business to be timely must be so delivered or received not earlier than the 120th day prior to such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such annual meeting or the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made; provided, further, that for the purpose of calculating the timeliness of a Notice of Business for the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders, the date of the immediately preceding annual meeting shall be deemed to be February 28, 2019. In no event shall the public announcement of an adjournment or postponement, or an adjournment or postponement, of a meeting commence a new time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of a stockholder's notice as described above. To be in proper written form, the Notice of Business must set forth:
(i) the name and record address of each stockholder proposing to bring business before the annual meeting (each, a "Proponent"), as they appear on the Corporation's books;
(ii) the name and address of each Stockholder Associated Person (as defined below);
(iii) as to each Proponent and each Stockholder Associated Person, (A) the class or series and number of shares of stock directly or indirectly held of record and beneficially by such Proponent and Stockholder Associated Person, (B) a description of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, direct or indirect, with respect to the business to be brought before the annual meeting, between or among any Proponent and any Stockholder Associated Person, (C) a description of any agreement, arrangement or understanding (including any derivative or short positions, profit interests, options, warrants, hedging transactions, convertible securities and borrowed or loaned shares) that has been entered into, directly or indirectly, as of the date of the notice by, or on behalf of, any Proponent or any Stockholder Associated Person, the
effect or intent of which is to mitigate loss to, manage risk or benefit of share price changes for, or increase or decrease the voting power of, any Proponent or any Stockholder Associated Person with respect to shares of stock of the Corporation (a "Derivative"), (D) a description in reasonable detail of any proxy (including revocable proxies), agreement, arrangement, understanding or other relationship pursuant to which any Proponent or any Stockholder Associated Person has a right to vote any shares of stock of the Corporation and (E) any profit-sharing or any performance-related fees (other than an asset-based fee) that any Proponent or any Stockholder Associated Person is entitled to, based on any increase or decrease in the value of stock of the Corporation or Derivatives thereof, if any, as of the date of such notice. The information specified in Section 2.7(c)(i) to (iii) of this Article II is referred to herein as "Stockholder Information";
(iv) a representation that each Proponent is a holder of record of stock of the Corporation entitled to vote at the annual meeting and intends to appear in person or by proxy at the annual meeting to propose such business;
(v) a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the annual meeting, the text of the proposal (including the text of any resolutions proposed for consideration and, if such business includes a proposal to amend the By-laws, the language of the proposed amendment) and the reasons for conducting such business at the annual meeting;
(vi) any material interest of any Proponent and any Stockholder Associated Person in such proposed business;
(vii) a representation as to whether the Proponent(s) intend (A) to deliver a proxy statement and form of proxy to holders of at least the percentage of the Corporation's outstanding capital stock required to approve or adopt such Stockholder Business or (B) otherwise to solicit proxies from stockholders in support of such Stockholder Business;
(viii) all other information that would be required to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") if the Proponent(s) or Stockholder Associated Persons were participants in a solicitation subject to Section 14 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") (or any successor of such Section); and
(ix) a representation and agreement that each Proponent shall provide any other information reasonably requested by the Corporation.
(d) In addition, each Proponent shall affirm as true and correct the information provided to the Corporation in the Notice of Business or at the Corporation's request pursuant to Section 2.7(c)(ix) of this Article II (and shall update or supplement such information as needed so that such information shall be true and correct) as of (i) the record date for the meeting and (ii) the date that is 10 business days prior to the announced date of the annual meeting to which the Notice of Business relates. Such affirmation, update and/or supplement must be delivered personally or mailed to, and received at the principal executive offices of the Corporation, addressed to the Secretary, by no later than five business days after the applicable date specified in clause (i) and (ii) of the foregoing sentence.
(e) The person presiding over the meeting shall, if the facts warrant, determine and declare to the meeting that business was not properly brought before the meeting in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 2.7, and, if he or she should so determine, he or she shall so declare to the meeting and any such business not properly brought before the meeting shall not be transacted.
(f) If the Proponent (or a qualified representative of the Proponent) does not appear at the meeting of stockholders to present the Stockholder Business, such business shall not be transacted, and votes in favor of such matter shall not be counted, notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such vote may have been received by the Corporation. A "qualified representative" of the Proponent or any stockholder means a person who is a duly authorized officer, manager or partner of such stockholder or has been authorized by a writing executed by such stockholder or an electronic transmission delivered by such stockholder to act for such stockholder as proxy with respect to the specific matter to be considered at the meeting of stockholders and such person must produce such writing or electronic transmission, or a reliable reproduction (to the reasonable satisfaction of the person presiding over the meeting) of the writing or electronic transmission, at the meeting of stockholders prior to the taking of action by such person on behalf of the stockholder.
(g) "Stockholder Associated Person" means with respect to any Proponent or Nominating Stockholder, (i) any other beneficial owner of stock of the Corporation owned of record or beneficially by such Proponent or Nominating Stockholder and (ii) any person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, is under common control with such Proponent or Nominating Stockholder.
(h) "Control" (including the terms "controlling," "controlled by" and "under common control with") means the possession, direct or indirect, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise.
(i) The notice requirements of this Section 2.7 shall be deemed satisfied with respect to stockholder proposals that have been properly brought under Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act (or any such successor rule) and that are included in a proxy statement that has been prepared by the Corporation to solicit proxies for such annual meeting. Further, nothing in this Section 2.7 shall be deemed to affect any rights of the holders of any series of preferred stock of the Corporation pursuant to any applicable provision of the Certificate.
SECTION 2.8 List of Stockholders. It shall be the duty of the Secretary or other officer who has charge of the stock ledger to prepare and make, at least 10 days before each meeting of the stockholders, a complete list of the stockholders entitled to vote thereat, arranged in alphabetical order, and showing the address of each stockholder and the number of shares registered in such stockholder's name. Such list shall be produced and kept available at the times and places required by law.
SECTION 2.9 Voting.
(a) Except as otherwise provided by law or by the Certificate, each stockholder of record of any series of Preferred Stock shall be entitled at each meeting of the stockholders to such number of votes, if any, for each share of such stock as may be fixed in the Certificate (or relevant Certificate of Designation) or in the resolution or resolutions adopted by the Board providing for the issuance of such stock, and each stockholder of record of Common Stock shall be entitled at each meeting of the stockholders to one vote for each share of such stock, in each case, registered in such stockholder's name on the books of the Corporation:
(i) on the date fixed pursuant to Section 7.6 of these By-laws as the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at such meeting; or
(ii) if no such record date shall have been so fixed, then at the close of business on the day before the day on which notice of such meeting is given, or, if notice is waived, at the close of business on the day before the day on which the meeting is held.
(b) Each stockholder entitled to vote at any meeting of the stockholders may authorize another person or persons to act for such stockholder by proxy. Any such proxy shall be delivered to the secretary of such meeting at or prior to the time designated for holding such meeting, but in any event not later than the time designated in the order of business for so delivering such proxies. No such proxy shall be voted or acted upon after three years from its date, unless the proxy provides for a longer period.
(c) Except as otherwise required by law and except as otherwise provided in the Certificate or these By-laws, at each meeting of the stockholders, all corporate actions to be taken by vote of the stockholders shall be authorized by holders of a majority in voting power of the shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote thereon and who are present in person or represented by proxy, and where a separate vote by class or series is required, by holders of a majority in voting power of the shares of such class or series who are entitled to vote thereon and are present in person or represented by proxy shall be the act of such class or series.
(d) Unless required by law or determined by the chairperson of the meeting to be advisable, the vote on any matter, including, without limitation, the election of directors, need not be by written ballot.
SECTION 2.10 Inspectors. The chairperson of the meeting shall appoint one or more inspectors to act at any meeting of the stockholders. Such inspectors shall perform such duties as shall be required by law or specified by the chairperson of the meeting. Inspectors need not be stockholders. No director or nominee for the office of director shall be appointed such inspector.
SECTION 2.11 Public Announcements. For the purpose of Section 2.7 of this Article II, "public announcement" shall mean disclosure (i) in a press release reported by the Dow Jones Newswire, Business Wire, Reuters Information Service or any similar or successor news wire service, (ii) in a communication distributed generally to stockholders or (iii) in a document publicly filed by the Corporation with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act.
SECTION 3.1 General Powers. The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of the Board, which may exercise all such powers of the Corporation (or grant authority to exercise such powers) and do all such lawful acts and things as are not by law or by the Certificate directed or required to be exercised or done by the stockholders.
SECTION 3.2 Number, Qualification and Election.
(a) The number of directors constituting the Whole Board shall be determined in accordance with the Certificate. The term "Whole Board" shall mean the total number of authorized directors, whether or not there exist any vacancies or unfilled previously authorized directorships. The terms of office of directors shall be governed by the Certificate.
(b) Each director shall be at least 21 years of age. Directors need not be stockholders of the Corporation. No person shall qualify for service as a director of the Corporation (i) if he or she is a party to any compensatory, payment, indemnification or other financial agreement, arrangement or understanding with any person or entity other than the Corporation, or has received any such compensation or other payment from any person or entity other than the Corporation, in each case in connection with candidacy or service as a director of the Corporation, unless he or she discloses such compensatory, payment or other financial agreement, arrangement or understanding, or receipt of any such compensation or other payment, to the Corporation pursuant to the requirements and procedures set forth in Section 3.3(a)(iv) of this Article III as if such person were a Stockholder Nominee thereunder or (ii) unless such person agrees to submit upon appointment, election or re-nomination to the Board an irrevocable resignation effective upon (x) such person's failure to receive a majority of the votes cast in an uncontested election and (y) the acceptance of such resignation by the Board.
(c) In any uncontested election of directors, each person receiving a majority of the votes cast shall be deemed elected. For purposes of this paragraph, a "majority of the votes cast" shall mean that the number of votes cast "for" a director must exceed the number of votes cast "against" that director (with "abstentions" and "broker non-votes" not counted as a vote cast with respect to that director). In any contested election of directors, the persons receiving a plurality of the votes cast, up to the number of directors to be elected in such election, shall be deemed elected. A contested election is one in which, as of the date that is 14 calendar days in advance of the date the Corporation files its definitive proxy statement with the SEC (regardless of whether or not it is thereafter revised or supplemented), the number of nominees exceeds the number of directors to be elected. An uncontested election is any election that is not a contested election.
(d) With respect to a resignation provided pursuant to Section 3.2(b)(ii), the Board shall consider such resignation and may either (i) accept the resignation or (ii) reject the resignation and seek to address the underlying cause(s) of the majority-withheld vote. While the Board may delegate to a committee the authority to assist the Board in its review of the matter, the Board shall decide whether to accept or reject the resignation within 90 days following the certification of the stockholder vote. Once the Board makes this decision, the Corporation will promptly make a public announcement of the Board's decision in the manner described in Section 2.11. If the Board rejects the resignation, the public announcement will include a statement regarding the reasons for its decision.
(e) The chairperson of the nominating and governance committee established pursuant to Section 4.1 will have the authority to manage the Board's review of the resignation. In the event it is the chairperson of the nominating and governance committee who received a majority-withheld vote, the independent directors who did not receive majority-withheld votes shall select a director or group of directors to manage the process, and such director or directors shall have the authority otherwise delegated to the chairperson of the nominating and governance committee by this Section 3.2. Any director whose resignation is being considered as a result of a majority-withheld vote shall not participate in the committee's or the Board's deliberations or vote on whether to accept or reject his or her resignation; provided that any director, regardless of whether such director received a majority-withheld vote, may participate in such deliberations or vote regarding another director's resignation.
SECTION 3.3 Notification of Nominations.
(a) Subject to the rights of the holders of any outstanding series of Preferred Stock, nominations for the election of directors may be made by the Board or by any stockholder pursuant to (i) this Section 3.3 who is a stockholder of record at the time of giving of the notice of nomination provided for in this Section 3.3 and who is entitled to vote for the election of directors or (ii) Section 3.15. This Section 3.3 and Section 3.15 are the exclusive means by which a stockholder may nominate a person for election to the Board. Any stockholder of record entitled to vote for the election of directors at a meeting may nominate persons for election as directors only if timely written notice (a "Notice of Nomination") of such stockholder's intent to make such nomination is given in proper written form to the Secretary. To be timely, a Notice of Nomination must be delivered to or mailed and received at the principal executive offices of the Corporation (i) with respect to an election to be held at an annual meeting of the stockholders, not less
than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary of the date of the immediately preceding annual meeting as first specified in the Corporation's notice of meeting (without regard to any postponements or adjournments of such meeting after such notice was first sent); provided, however, that in the event that the date of the annual meeting is more than 30 days earlier or more than 60 days later than such anniversary date, a Notice of Nomination to be timely must be so delivered or received not earlier than the 120th day prior to such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such annual meeting or the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made; provided, further, that for the purpose of calculating the timeliness of stockholder notices for the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders, the date of the immediately preceding annual meeting shall be deemed to be February 28, 2019 and (ii) with respect to an election to be held at a special meeting of the stockholders for the election of directors at which directors are to be elected pursuant to the corporation's notice, not earlier than the 90th day prior to such special meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 60th day prior to such special meeting or the 10th day following the day on which public announcement is first made of the date of the special meeting and of the nominee(s) proposed by the Board to be elected at such meeting. In no event shall the public announcement of an adjournment or postponement, or an adjournment or postponement, of a meeting commence a new time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of a stockholder's notice as described above. To be in proper written form, the Notice of Nomination shall set forth:
(i) the Stockholder Information with respect to each stockholder nominating persons for election to the Board (each, a "Nominating Stockholder") and each Stockholder Associated Person;
(ii) a representation that each Nominating Stockholder is a holder of record of stock of the Corporation entitled to vote at the meeting and intends to appear in person or by proxy at the meeting to propose such nomination;
(iii) all information regarding each Nominating Stockholder, each nominee (each, a "Stockholder Nominee") and each Stockholder Associated Person that would be required to be disclosed in a solicitation of proxies subject to Section 14 of the Exchange Act;
(iv) (A) each Stockholder Nominee's written consent to being named in the proxy statement as a nominee and to serving as a director if elected; (B) a completed and duly executed written questionnaire completed and signed by each Stockholder Nominee with respect to the background, qualifications and independence of such Stockholder Nominee (in the form provided by the Secretary upon written request); (C) a completed and duly executed written questionnaire with respect to the background and qualification with respect to such Nominating Stockholder and any other person or entity on whose behalf, directly or indirectly, the nomination is being made (in the form provided by the Secretary upon written request) and (D) each Stockholder Nominee's written representation and agreement (in the form provided by the Secretary upon written request), (1) that if elected as a director of the Corporation, such person will submit an irrevocable resignation effective upon (x) such person's failure to receive a majority of the votes cast in an uncontested election and (y) the acceptance of such resignation by the
Board, (2) that such person currently intends to serve as a director for the full term for which such person is standing for election, (3) that such person is not and will not become party to any agreement, arrangement or understanding with, and has not given any commitment, representation or assurance to, any person or entity as to how such person, if elected as a director of the Corporation, will act or vote on any issue or question (a "Voting Commitment") that has not been disclosed to the Corporation or any Voting Commitment that could limit or interfere with such person's ability to comply, if elected as a director of the Corporation, with such person's fiduciary duties under applicable law, (4) that such person is not and will not become a party to any agreement, arrangement or understanding with any person or entity other than the Corporation with respect to any direct or indirect compensation, reimbursement or indemnification in connection with service or action as a director that has not been disclosed to the Corporation, and (5) that such person, in the person's individual capacity and on behalf of any person or entity on whose behalf the nomination is being made, would be in compliance, if elected as a director of the Corporation, and will comply with, all applicable publicly disclosed corporate governance, ethics, conflict of interest, confidentiality and stock ownership and trading policies and guidelines of the Corporation, and any other Corporation policies and guidelines applicable to Corporation directors;
(v) a description of all direct and indirect compensation and other material monetary agreements, arrangements and understandings during the past three years, and any other material relationships, between or among a Nominating Stockholder, Stockholder Associated Person or others acting in concert therewith, including all information that would be required to be disclosed pursuant to Rule 404 promulgated under Regulation S-K (or any such successor rule) if the Nominating Stockholder, Stockholder Associated Person or any person acting in concert therewith, were the "registrant" for purposes of such rule and the Stockholder Nominee were a director or executive of such registrant;
(vi) a duly executed representation as to whether the Nominating Stockholder(s) intend (A) to deliver a proxy statement and form of proxy to holders of at least the percentage of the Corporation's outstanding capital stock required to approve the nomination or (B) otherwise to solicit proxies from stockholders in support of such nomination;
(vii) all other information that would be required to be filed with the SEC if the Nominating Stockholder(s) and Stockholder Associated Person were participants in a solicitation subject to Section 14 of the Exchange Act (or any such successor section); and
(viii) a duly executed representation that each Nominating Stockholder shall provide any other information reasonably requested by the Corporation.
(b) In addition, each Proponent and Nominating Stockholder shall affirm as true and correct the information provided to the Corporation in the Notice of Nomination or, at the Corporation's request, such information provided pursuant to Section 3.3(a)(vii) of this Article III (and shall update or supplement such information as needed so that such information shall be true and correct) as of (i) the record date for the meeting and (ii) the date that is 10 business days prior to the announced date of the meeting to which the Notice of Nomination relates. Such affirmation, update and/or supplement must be delivered personally or mailed to, and received at the principal executive offices of the Corporation, addressed to the Secretary, by no later than five business days after the applicable date specified in clause (i) and (ii) of the foregoing sentence.
(c) The person presiding over the meeting shall, if the facts warrant, determine and declare to the meeting, that the nomination was not made in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 3.3, and, if he or she should so determine, he or she shall so declare to the meeting and the defective nomination shall be disregarded.
(d) If the Nominating Stockholder (or a qualified representative of the stockholder) does not appear at the applicable stockholder meeting to nominate the Stockholder Nominees (as defined below), such nomination shall be disregarded and no election of such Stockholder Nominees shall be transacted, notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such vote may have been received by the Corporation.
(e) Nothing in this Section 3.3 shall be deemed to affect any rights of the holders of any series of preferred stock of the Corporation pursuant to any applicable provision of the Certificate or any Certificate of Designation.
(f) Notwithstanding anything in the immediately preceding paragraph of this Section 3.3 to the contrary, in the event that the number of directors to be elected to the Board at an annual meeting of the stockholders is increased and there is no public announcement specifying the size of the increased Board made by the Corporation at least 90 days prior to the first anniversary of the date of the immediately preceding annual meeting, a stockholder's notice required by this Section 3.3 shall also be considered timely, but only with respect to nominees for any new positions created by such increase, if it shall be delivered to or mailed to and received by the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than the close of business on the 10th day following the day on which such public announcement is first made by the Corporation; provided, further, that for the purpose of calculating the timeliness of the stockholder's notice for the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders, the date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders shall be deemed to be February 28, 2019.
SECTION 3.4 Quorum and Manner of Acting. Except as otherwise provided by law, the Certificate or these By-laws, a majority of the Whole Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the Board, and, except as so provided, the vote of a majority of the directors present at any meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the Board. The chairperson of the meeting or a majority of the directors present may adjourn the meeting to another time and place, if any, whether or not a quorum is present. At any adjourned meeting at which a quorum is present, any business may be transacted which might have been transacted at the meeting as originally called.
SECTION 3.5 Place of Meeting. Subject to Sections 3.6 and 3.7 of this Article III, the Board may hold its meetings at such place or places, if any, either within or outside of the State of Delaware, as the Board may from time to time determine, or as shall be specified or fixed in the respective notices or waivers of notice thereof.
SECTION 3.6 Regular Meetings. Regular meetings of the Board shall be held at such times as the Board shall from time to time determine, at such locations as the Board may determine. No fewer than four meetings of the Board shall be held per year.
SECTION 3.7 Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Board shall be held whenever called by the Chairperson of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer or by a majority of the non-employee directors, and shall be held at such place, if any, on such date and at such time as he, she or they, as applicable, shall fix.
SECTION 3.8 Notice of Meetings. Notice of regular meetings of the Board or of any adjourned meeting thereof need not be given. Notice of each special meeting of the Board shall be given by overnight delivery service or mailed to each director, in either case addressed to such director at such director's residence or usual place of business, at least 48 hours before the day on which the meeting is to be held or shall be sent to such director at such place by telecopy or by electronic transmission or shall be given personally or by telephone, not later than 24 hours before the meeting is to be held, but notice need not be given to any director who shall, either before or after the meeting, submit a waiver of such notice or who shall attend such meeting without protesting, prior to or at its commencement, the lack of notice to such director. Unless otherwise required by these By-laws, every such notice shall state the time and place, if any, but need not state the purpose of the meeting.
SECTION 3.9 Rules and Regulations. The Board may adopt such rules and regulations not inconsistent with the provisions of law, the Certificate or these By-laws for the conduct of its meetings and management of the affairs of the Corporation as the Board may deem proper.
SECTION 3.10 Participation in Meeting by Means of Communications Equipment. Any one or more members of the Board or any committee thereof may participate in any meeting of the Board or of any such committee by means of conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other or as otherwise permitted by law, and such participation in a meeting shall constitute presence in person at such meeting.
SECTION 3.11 Action Without Meeting. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the Board or any committee thereof may be taken without a meeting if all of the members of the Board or of any such committee consent thereto in writing or as otherwise permitted by law and, if required by law, the writing or writings are filed with the minutes or proceedings of the Board or of such committee.
SECTION 3.12 Chairperson. The Board of Directors shall annually select one of its members to be Chairperson and shall fill any vacancy in the position of Chairperson at such time and in such manner as the Board of Directors shall determine.
SECTION 3.13 Resignations. Any director of the Corporation may at any time resign by giving written notice to the Board, the Chairperson of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer or the Secretary. Such resignation shall take effect at the time specified therein or, if the time be not specified therein, upon receipt thereof; and, unless otherwise specified therein or in these By-laws, the acceptance of such resignation shall not be necessary to make it effective.
SECTION 3.14 Compensation. Each director, in consideration of such person serving as a director, shall be entitled to receive from the Corporation such amount per annum and such fees (payable in cash or stock-based compensation) for attendance at meetings of the Board or of committees of the Board, or both, and for acting as a chair of a committee of the Board, and/or any other compensation in each case as the Board or a committee thereof shall from time to time determine. In addition, each director shall be entitled to receive from the Corporation reimbursement for the reasonable expenses incurred by such person in connection with the performance of such person's duties as a director. Nothing contained in this Section 3.14 shall preclude any director from serving the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries in any other capacity and receiving compensation therefor.
SECTION 3.15 Proxy Access.
(a) The Corporation shall include in its proxy statement and on its form of proxy for an annual meeting of stockholders the name of, and the Required Information (as defined below) relating to, any nominee for election or reelection to the Board who satisfies the eligibility requirements in this Section 3.15 (a "Proxy Access Nominee") and who is identified in a notice that complies with Section 3.15(f) of this Article III and that is timely delivered pursuant to Section 3.15(g) of this Article III (the "Stockholder Notice") by one stockholder, or a group of no more than 20 stockholders, who:
(i) elects at the time of delivering the Stockholder Notice to have such Proxy Access Nominee included in the Corporation's proxy materials;
(ii) as of the date of the Stockholder Notice and the record date for determining stockholders entitled to vote at the annual meeting of stockholders, Owns (as defined below in Section 3.15(c) of this Article III) a number of shares of the Corporation that represents at least 3% of the outstanding shares of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors (the "Required Shares") and has Owned continuously the Required Shares (as adjusted for any stock splits, stock dividends or similar events) for at least three years; and
(iii) satisfies the additional requirements in these By-laws (such stockholder or group of stockholders, collectively, an "Eligible Stockholder").
(b) For purposes of satisfying the Ownership requirement under Section 3.15(a) of this Article III:
(i) the outstanding shares of the Corporation Owned by a group of one or more stockholders may be aggregated (for the avoidance of doubt, the number of stockholders and other beneficial owners whose ownership of shares is aggregated for such purpose shall not exceed 20); and
(ii) two or more funds that are (A) under common management and investment control, (B) under common management and funded primarily by the same employer or (C) a "group of investment companies," as such term is defined in Section 12(d)(1)(G)(ii) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, shall, in each case, be treated as one stockholder.
(c) For purposes of this Section 3.15, an Eligible Stockholder "Owns" only those outstanding shares of the Corporation as to which the stockholder or group of stockholders possesses both:
(i) the full voting and investment rights pertaining to the shares; and
(ii) the full economic interest in (including, without limitation, the opportunity for profit and risk of loss on) such shares;
provided that the number of shares calculated in accordance with clauses (i) and (ii) of this Section 3.15(c) shall not include any shares:
(A) sold by such stockholder or any affiliate (as defined below in this Section 3.15(c)) in any transaction that has not been settled or closed, including, without limitation, any short sale;
(B) borrowed by such stockholder or any affiliate for any purposes or purchased by such stockholder or any affiliate pursuant to an agreement to resell; or
(C) subject to any option, warrant, forward contract, swap, contract of sale, other derivative or similar agreement entered into by such stockholder or any of its affiliates, whether any such instrument or agreement is to be settled with shares or with cash based on the notional amount or value of outstanding shares of the Corporation, in any such case which instrument or agreement has, or is intended to have, or if exercised would have, the purpose or effect of:
reducing in any manner, to any extent or at any time in the future, such stockholder's or any of its affiliates' full right to vote or direct the voting of any such shares; and/or
hedging, offsetting or altering to any degree gain or loss arising from the full economic interest in such shares by such stockholder or affiliate.
A stockholder "Owns" shares held in the name of a nominee or other intermediary so long as the stockholder retains the right to instruct how the shares are voted with respect to the election of directors and possesses the full economic interest in the shares. A stockholder's Ownership of shares shall be deemed to continue during any period in which the stockholder has delegated any voting power by means of a proxy, power of attorney or other instrument or arrangement that is revocable at any time by the stockholder. A stockholder's Ownership of shares shall be deemed to continue during any period in which the stockholder has loaned such shares; provided, that the stockholder has the power to recall such loaned shares on five business days' notice and has recalled such loaned shares as of the date of the Stockholder Notice and through the date of the annual meeting of stockholders. The terms "Owned," "Owning" and other variations of the word "Own" shall have correlative meanings. Whether outstanding shares of the Corporation are "Owned" for these purposes shall be determined by the Board.
For purposes of this Section 3.15, the term "affiliate" or "affiliates" shall have the meaning ascribed thereto under the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act.
(d) No stockholder may be a member of more than one group of stockholders constituting an Eligible Stockholder under this Section 3.15, and no shares of the Corporation may be attributed to more than one Eligible Stockholder or group constituting an Eligible Stockholder.
(e) For purposes of this Section 3.15, the "Required Information" that the Corporation will include in its proxy materials is:
(i) the information concerning the Proxy Access Nominee and the Eligible Stockholder that is required to be disclosed in the Corporation's proxy materials by the applicable requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder; and
(ii) if the Eligible Stockholder so elects, a written statement of the Eligible Stockholder, not to exceed 500 words, in support of its Proxy Access Nominee, which must be provided at the same time as the Stockholder Notice for inclusion in the Corporation's proxy materials for the annual meeting of stockholders.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 3.15, the Corporation may omit from its proxy materials any information or statement that it, in good faith, believes would violate any applicable law, rule, regulation or listing standard. Nothing in this Section 3.15 shall limit the Corporation's ability to solicit against a stockholder nominee and include in its proxy materials its own statements relating to any Eligible Stockholder or Proxy Access Nominee.
(f) The Stockholder Notice shall set forth the information required under Section 3.3(a) of this Article III (replacing the term "Proponent" with "Eligible Stockholder" and the term "Stockholder Nominee" with "Proxy Access Nominee"), including the questionnaire, agreement and other materials required by Section 3.3(a)(iv), and, in addition, shall include:
(i) a copy of the Schedule 14N that has been or concurrently is filed with the SEC under Exchange Act Rule 14a-18 (or any successor schedule or rule); and
(ii) the written agreement of the Eligible Stockholder (or in the case of a group, each stockholder whose shares are aggregated for purposes of constituting an Eligible Stockholder) addressed to the Corporation (in the form provided by the Secretary upon written request), setting forth the following additional agreements, representations and warranties:
(A) a certification as to the number of shares of the Corporation it Owns and has Owned continuously for at least three years as of the date of the Stockholder Notice and agreeing to continue to Own such shares through the date of the annual meeting of stockholders, which statement shall also be included in the written statements set forth in Item 4 of the Schedule 14N (or any successor schedule) filed by the Eligible Stockholder with the SEC;
(B) the Eligible Stockholder's agreement to provide the information required under Section 3.3(a) of this Article III and the written statements from the record holder and intermediaries as required under Section 3.15(h) of this Article III verifying the Eligible Stockholder's continuous Ownership of the Required Shares through and as of the business day immediately preceding the date of the annual meeting of stockholders;
(C) the Eligible Stockholder's representation and agreement that the Eligible Stockholder (including each member of any group of stockholders that together is an Eligible Stockholder under this Section 3.15):
acquired the Required Shares in the ordinary course of business and not with the intent to change or influence control of the Corporation, and does not presently have such intent;
will provide facts, statements and other information in all communications with the Corporation and stockholders of the Corporation that are true and correct in all material respects and do not omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;
has not nominated and will not nominate for election to the Board at the annual meeting of stockholders any person other than the Proxy Access Nominee(s) being nominated pursuant to this Section 3.15;
has not engaged and will not engage in a, and has not been and will not be a "participant" (as defined in Item 4 of the Exchange Act Schedule 14A) (or any successor schedule) in other person's, "solicitation" within the meaning of Exchange Act Rule 14a-1(l) (or any successor rule), in support of the election of any individual as a director at the annual meeting of stockholders other than its Proxy Access Nominee or a nominee of the Board; and
will not distribute to any stockholder any form of proxy for the annual meeting of stockholders other than the form distributed by the Corporation.
(D) the Eligible Stockholder's agreement to:
assume all liability stemming from any legal or regulatory violation arising out of the Eligible Stockholder's communications with the stockholders of the Corporation or out of the information that the Eligible Stockholder provided to the Corporation;
indemnify and hold harmless the Corporation and each of its directors, officers and employees individually against any liability, loss or damages in connection with any threatened or pending action, suit or proceeding, whether legal, administrative or investigative, against the Corporation or any of its directors, officers or employees arising out of any nomination submitted by the Eligible Stockholder pursuant to this Section 3.15; provided, however, that the indemnification by the Eligible Stockholder under this Section 3.15(f)(ii)(D)(2) shall no longer be required or apply with respect to any acts or omissions by the Proxy Access Nominee that occur after such Proxy Access Nominee's election to the Board;
comply with all other laws, rules, regulations and listing standards applicable to any solicitation in connection with the annual meeting of stockholders;
file all materials described below in Section 3.15(h)(iii) of this Article III with the SEC, regardless of whether any such filing is required under Exchange Act Regulation 14A (or any successor regulation), or whether any exemption from filing is available for such materials under Exchange Act Regulation 14A (or any successor regulation);
provide to the Corporation prior to the annual meeting of stockholders such additional information as necessary or reasonably requested by the Corporation; and
promptly disclose to the Corporation if the Eligible Stockholder does not intend to continue to Own the Required Shares for at least one year following the annual meeting of stockholders; and
in the case of a nomination by a group of stockholders that together is an Eligible Stockholder, the designation by all group members of one group member that is authorized to act on behalf of all such members with respect to the nomination and matters related thereto, including, without limitation, any withdrawal of the nomination.
(g) To be timely under this Section 3.15, the Stockholder Notice must be delivered to or mailed and received at the principal executive offices of the Corporation with respect to an election to be held at an annual meeting of the stockholders, not less than 120 days nor more than 150 days prior to the first anniversary of the date the definitive proxy statement was first released to stockholders in connection with the previous year's annual meeting of stockholders; provided, however, that in the event that the date of the annual meeting of stockholders is more than 30 days earlier or more than 60 days later than such anniversary date, the Stockholder Notice to be timely must be so delivered or received not earlier than the 150th day prior to such annual meeting of stockholders and not later than the close of business on the later of the 120th day prior to such annual meeting of stockholders or the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made; provided, further, that for the purpose of calculating the timeliness of the Stockholder Notice for the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders, the date the definitive proxy statement was first released to stockholders in connection with the previous year's annual meeting of stockholders shall be deemed to be February 28, 2019. In no event shall any adjournment or postponement of an annual meeting of stockholders, or the announcement thereof, commence a new time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of the Stockholder Notice as described above. For purposes of Rule 14a-18 under the Exchange Act (or any successor rule), the applicable "date specified by the registrant's advance notice provision" shall be the date determined pursuant to this Section 3.15(g).
(h) An Eligible Stockholder (or in the case of a group, each stockholder whose shares are aggregated for purposes of constituting an Eligible Stockholder) must:
(i) within five business days after the date of the Stockholder Notice, provide one or more written statements from the record holder(s) of the Required Shares and from each intermediary through which the Required Shares are or have been held, in each case during the requisite three-year holding period, verifying that the Eligible Stockholder Owns, and has Owned continuously for the preceding three years, the Required Shares;
(ii) include in the written statements provided pursuant to Item 4 of Schedule 14N (or any successor schedule) filed with the SEC a statement certifying that it Owns and continuously has Owned the Required Shares for at least three years;
(iii) file with the SEC any solicitation or other communication relating to the current year annual meeting of stockholders, one or more of the Corporation's directors or director nominees or any Proxy Access Nominee, regardless of whether any such filing is required under Exchange Act Regulation 14A (or any successor regulation) or whether any exemption from filing is available for such solicitation or other communication under Exchange Act Regulation 14A (or any successor regulation); and
(iv) as to any group of funds whose shares are aggregated for purposes of constituting an Eligible Stockholder, within five business days after the date of the Stockholder Notice, provide documentation reasonably satisfactory to the Corporation that demonstrates that the funds satisfy Section 3.15(b)(ii) of this Article III.
(i) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 3.15, the Corporation may omit from its proxy materials any Proxy Access Nominee, and such nomination shall be disregarded and no vote on such Proxy Access Nominee will occur, notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such vote may have been received by the Corporation, if:
(i) the Secretary receives notice that a stockholder intends to nominate a person for election to the Board, which stockholder does not elect to have its nominee(s) included in the Corporation's proxy materials pursuant to this Section 3.15;
(ii) the Eligible Stockholder or Proxy Access Nominee breaches any of its respective agreements, representations or warranties set forth in the Stockholder Notice or otherwise required by this Section 3.15, or if any of the information in the Stockholder Notice (or otherwise submitted pursuant to this Section 3.15) was not, when provided, true, correct and complete or the requirements of this Section 3.15 have otherwise not been met;
(iii) the Proxy Access Nominee or the stockholder or group of stockholders (including any member thereof) who has nominated such Proxy Access Nominee has engaged in or is currently engaged in, or has been or is a "participant" in another person's, "solicitation" within the meaning of Rule 14a-1(l) under the Exchange Act, in support of the election of any individual as a director at the meeting other than such Proxy Access Nominee or a nominee of the Board;
(iv) the Proxy Access Nominee (A) is not independent under the listing standards of the principal U.S. exchange upon which the shares of the Corporation are listed, any applicable rules of the SEC and any publicly disclosed standards used by the Board in determining and disclosing the independence of the Corporation's directors, (B) does not qualify as independent under the audit committee independence requirements set forth in the rules of the principal U.S. exchange on which shares of the Corporation are listed, as a "non-employee director" under Exchange Act Rule 16b-3 (or any successor rule), (C) is or has been, within the three years preceding the date the Corporation first mails to the stockholders its notice of the meeting that includes the Proxy Access Nominee, an officer or director of a competitor, as defined in Section 8 of the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914, as amended, (D) is an officer, director or general partner of any legal entity where a fellow officer, director or general partner of such legal entity is an officer or director of a competitor, as defined in Section 8 of the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914, as amended, (E) is a named subject of a pending criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations and other minor offenses) or has been convicted in a criminal proceeding within the 10 years preceding the date the Corporation first mails to the stockholders its notice of the meeting that includes the Proxy Access Nominee or (F) is subject to any order of the type specified in Rule 506(d) of Regulation D (or any successor rule) promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended; or
(v) the election of the Proxy Access Nominee to the Board would cause the Corporation to be in violation of the Certificate, these By-laws or any applicable state or federal law, rule, regulation or listing standard.
Any such determination by the Board (or any other person or body authorized by the Board) regarding a nomination's satisfaction of this Section 3.15(i) shall be binding on the Corporation and its stockholders.
(j) The maximum number of Proxy Access Nominees appearing in the Corporation's proxy materials with respect to an annual meeting of stockholders pursuant to this Section 3.15 (including, without limitation, any Proxy Access Nominee whose name was submitted for inclusion in the Corporation's proxy materials for such annual meeting of stockholders but who is nominated by the Board as a Board nominee for such annual meeting of stockholders), together with:
(i) any nominees who were previously elected to the Board as (A) Proxy Access Nominees pursuant to this Section 3.15 (including, without limitation, any Proxy Access Nominee whose name was submitted for inclusion in the Corporation's proxy materials for such prior annual meeting of stockholders but who was nominated by the Board as a Board nominee for such prior annual meeting of stockholders) or (B) a nominee of any stockholder in any other manner, in either case at any of the preceding two annual meetings of stockholders and who are re-nominated for election at such annual meeting of stockholders by the Board, and
(ii) any Proxy Access Nominee who was qualified for inclusion in the Corporation's proxy materials for such annual meeting of stockholders but whose nomination is subsequently withdrawn,
shall not exceed the greater of (x) two or (y) 20% of the number of directors in office as of the last day on which a Stockholder Notice may be delivered pursuant to this Section 3.15 with respect to such annual meeting of stockholders, or if such amount as calculated in clause (y) of this Section 3.15(j) is not a whole number, the closest whole number below 20%; provided that if there is a vacancy on the Board and the number of directors is decreased prior to such annual meeting of stockholders, then the 20% of the number of directors shall be calculated based on the number of directors in office as of the date of such decrease in the number of directors. In the event that the number of Proxy Access Nominees submitted by Eligible Stockholders pursuant to this Section 3.15 exceeds this maximum number, each Eligible Stockholder will select one Proxy Access Nominee for inclusion in the Corporation's proxy materials until the maximum number is reached, going in order of the number (largest to smallest) of shares of the Corporation each Eligible Stockholder disclosed as Owned in its respective Stockholder Notice submitted to the Corporation. If the maximum number is not reached after each Eligible Stockholder has selected one Proxy Access Nominee, this selection process will continue as many times as necessary, following the same order each time, until the maximum number is reached.
(k) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 3.15, unless otherwise required by law or otherwise determined by the person presiding over the meeting, if none of (i) the Eligible Stockholder or (ii) a qualified representative of the Eligible Stockholder appears at the annual meeting of stockholders to present such Eligible Stockholder's Proxy Access Nominees, such nomination or nominations shall be disregarded and conclusively deemed withdrawn, notwithstanding that proxies in respect of the election of the Proxy Access Nominees may have been received by the Corporation.
(l) Any Proxy Access Nominee who is included in the Corporation's proxy materials for a particular annual meeting of stockholders but either (i) withdraws from or becomes ineligible or unavailable for election at the annual meeting of stockholders, or (ii) does not receive at least 25% of the votes cast in favor of the Proxy Access Nominee's election, will be ineligible to be a Proxy Access Nominee pursuant to this Section 3.15 for the next two annual meetings of stockholders.
(m) The Corporation may request such additional information as necessary to permit the Board to determine if each Proxy Access Nominee is independent under the listing standards of the principal United States exchange upon which the shares of the Corporation are listed, any applicable rules of the SEC and any publicly disclosed standards used by the Board in determining and disclosing the independence of the Corporation's directors.
(n) This Section 3.15 shall be the exclusive method for stockholders to include nominees for director election in the Corporation's proxy materials.
SECTION 4.1 Committees of the Board. The Board shall designate such committees as may be required by the listing standards of the principal United States exchange upon which the shares of the Corporation are listed and may from time to time designate other committees of the Board (including, without limitation, an executive
committee), with such lawfully delegable powers and duties as it thereby confers, to serve at the pleasure of the Board and shall, for those committees and any others provided for herein, elect a director or directors to serve as the member or members, designating, if it desires, other directors as alternate members who may replace any absent or disqualified member at any meeting of the committee.
SECTION 4.2 Conduct of Business. Any committee, to the extent allowed by law and provided in the resolution establishing such committee or the charter of such committee, shall have and may exercise all the duly delegated powers and authority of the Board in the management of the business and affairs of the Corporation. The Board shall have the power to prescribe the manner in which proceedings of any such committee shall be conducted. In the absence of any such prescription, any such committee shall have the power to prescribe the manner in which its proceedings shall be conducted. Unless the Board or such committee shall otherwise provide, regular and special meetings and other actions of any such committee shall be governed by the provisions of Article III applicable to meetings and actions of the Board. Each committee shall keep regular minutes and report on its actions to the Board.
SECTION 5.1 Number; Term of Office. The officers of the Corporation shall be elected by the Board and may consist of: a Chief Executive Officer, a President, a Chief Operating Officer, a Chief Financial Officer and one or more Vice Presidents (including, without limitation, Senior Vice Presidents) and a Treasurer, Controller and Secretary and such other officers and agents with such titles and such duties as the Board may from time to time determine, each to have such authority, functions or duties as in these By-laws provided or as the Board may from time to time determine, and each to hold office for such term as may be prescribed by the Board and until such person's successor shall have been chosen and shall qualify, or until such person's death or resignation, or until such person's removal in the manner hereinafter provided. One person may hold the offices and perform the duties of any two or more of said officers; provided, however, that no officer shall execute, acknowledge or verify any instrument in more than one capacity if such instrument is required by law, the Certificate or these By-laws to be executed, acknowledged or verified by two or more officers. The Board may require any officer or agent to give security for the faithful performance of such person's duties.
SECTION 5.2 Removal. Subject to Section 5.13 of this Article V, any officer may be removed, either with or without cause, by the Board at any meeting thereof called for the purpose, by the Chief Executive Officer, or by any other superior officer upon whom such power may be conferred by the Board.
SECTION 5.3 Resignation. Any officer may resign at any time by giving notice to the Board, the Chief Executive Officer or the Secretary. Any such resignation shall take effect at the date of receipt of such notice or at any later date specified therein and, unless otherwise specified therein, the acceptance of such resignation shall not be necessary to make it effective.
SECTION 5.4 Chief Executive Officer. The Chief Executive Officer shall have general supervision and direction of the business and affairs of the Corporation, subject to the control of the Board, and shall report directly to the Board.
SECTION 5.5 President. The President shall perform such senior duties as he or she may agree with the Chief Executive Officer (if the position is held by an individual other than the Chief Executive Officer) or as the Board shall from time to time determine.
SECTION 5.6 Chief Operating Officer. The Chief Operating Officer shall perform such senior duties in connection with the operations of the Corporation as he or she may agree with the Chief Executive Officer or as the Board shall from time to time determine. The Chief Operating Officer shall, when requested, counsel with and advise the other officers of the Corporation.
SECTION 5.7 Chief Financial Officer. The Chief Financial Officer shall perform all the powers and duties of the office of the chief financial officer and in general have overall supervision of the financial operations of the Corporation. The Chief Financial Officer shall, when requested, counsel with and advise the other officers of the Corporation and shall perform such other duties as he or she may agree with the Chief Executive Officer or as the Board may from time to time determine.
SECTION 5.8 Vice Presidents. Any Vice President shall have such powers and duties as shall be prescribed by his or her superior officer or the Board. A Vice President shall, when requested, counsel with and advise the other officers of the Corporation and shall perform such other duties as he or she may agree with the Chief Executive Officer or as the Board may from time to time determine. A Vice President need not be an officer of the Corporation and shall not be deemed an officer of the Corporation unless elected by the Board.
SECTION 5.9 Treasurer. The Treasurer shall supervise and be responsible for all the funds and securities of the Corporation; the deposit of all moneys and other valuables to the credit of the Corporation in depositories of the Corporation; borrowings and compliance with the provisions of all indentures, agreements and instruments governing such borrowings to which the Corporation is a party; the disbursement of funds of the Corporation and the investment of its funds; and, in general, shall perform all of the duties incident to the office of the Treasurer. The Treasurer shall, when requested, counsel with and advise the other officers of the Corporation and shall perform such other duties as he or she may agree with the Chief Executive Officer or the Chief Financial Officer or as the Board may from time to time determine.
SECTION 5.10 Controller. The Controller shall be the chief accounting officer of the Corporation. The Controller shall, when requested, counsel with and advise the other officers of the Corporation and shall perform such other duties as he or she may agree with the Chief Executive Officer or the Chief Financial Officer or as the Board may from time to time determine.
SECTION 5.11 Secretary. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to act as secretary at all meetings of the Board, of the committees of the Board and of the stockholders and to record the proceedings of such meetings in a book or books to be kept for that purpose; the Secretary shall see that all notices required to be given by the Corporation are duly given and served; the Secretary shall be custodian of the seal of the Corporation and when deemed necessary shall affix the seal or cause it to be affixed to all certificates of stock, if any, of the Corporation (unless the seal of the Corporation on such certificates shall be a facsimile, as hereinafter provided) and to all documents, the execution of which on behalf of the Corporation under its seal is duly authorized in accordance with the provisions of these By-laws; the Secretary shall have charge of the books, records and papers of the Corporation and shall see that the reports, statements and other documents required by law to be kept and filed are properly kept and filed; and in general shall perform all of the duties incident to the office of Secretary. The Secretary shall, when requested, counsel with and advise the other officers of the Corporation and shall perform such other duties as he or she may agree with the Chief Executive Officer or as the Board may from time to time determine.
SECTION 5.12 Assistant Treasurers, Assistant Controllers and Assistant Secretaries. Any Assistant Treasurers, Assistant Controllers and Assistant Secretaries shall perform such duties as shall be assigned to them by the Board or by the Treasurer, Controller or Secretary, respectively, or by the Chief Executive Officer. An Assistant Treasurer, Assistant Controller or Assistant Secretary need not be an officer of the Corporation and shall not be deemed an officer of the Corporation unless elected by the Board.
SECTION 5.13 Additional Matters. The Chief Executive Officer, the President, the Chief Operating Officer and the Chief Financial Officer of the Corporation shall have the authority to designate employees of the Corporation to have the title of Vice President, Assistant Vice President, Assistant Treasurer, Assistant Controller or Assistant Secretary. Any employee so designated shall have the powers and duties determined by the officer making such designation. The persons upon whom such titles are conferred shall not be deemed officers of the Corporation unless elected by the Board or appointed by any duly elected officer or assistant officer authorized by the Board to appoint such person.
SECTION 6.1 Right to Indemnification. The Corporation, to the fullest extent permitted or required by the DGCL or other applicable law, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended (but, in the case of any such amendment and unless applicable law otherwise requires, only to the extent that such amendment permits the Corporation to provide broader indemnification rights than such law permitted the Corporation to provide
prior to such amendment), shall indemnify and hold harmless any person who is or was a director or officer of the Corporation and who is or was involved in any manner (including, without limitation, as a party or a witness) or is threatened to be made so involved in any threatened, pending or completed investigation, claim, action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (including, without limitation, any action, suit or proceedings by or in the right of the Corporation to procure a judgment in its favor) (a "Proceeding") by reason of the fact that such person, or another person of whom such person is the legal representative, is or was a director, officer of the Corporation (or manager of any predecessor to the Corporation), or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise (including, without limitation, any employee benefit plan) (a "Covered Entity"), whether the basis of such Proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a director, officer or agent or in any other capacity while serving as a director, officer or agent, against all expenses, liabilities and losses (including, without limitation, attorneys' fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes or penalties and amounts paid in settlement) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such Proceeding and such indemnification shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer or agent of the Corporation or a Covered Entity; provided, however, that, except as provided in Section 6.4(d) of this Article VI with respect to an adjudication of entitlement to indemnification, the Corporation shall indemnify and hold harmless any such Indemnitee in connection with a Proceeding initiated by such Indemnitee only if such Proceeding was authorized by the Board. Any person entitled to indemnification as provided in this Section 6.1 is hereinafter called an "Indemnitee." Any right of an Indemnitee to indemnification shall be a contract right and shall include the right to receive, prior to the conclusion of any Proceeding, payment of any expenses incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with such Proceeding, consistent with the provisions of the DGCL or other applicable law, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended (but, in the case of any such amendment and unless applicable law otherwise requires, only to the extent that such amendment permits the Corporation to provide broader rights to payment of expenses than such law permitted the Corporation to provide prior to such amendment), and the other provisions of this Article VI; provided that payment of expenses incurred by a person other than a director or officer of the Corporation prior to the conclusion of any Proceeding shall be made, unless otherwise determined by the Board, only upon delivery to the Corporation of an undertaking by or on behalf of such person to the same effect as any undertaking required to be delivered to the Corporation by any director or officer of the Corporation pursuant to the DGCL or other applicable law.
SECTION 6.2 Insurance, Contracts and Funding. The Corporation may purchase and maintain insurance to protect itself and any director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation or of any Covered Entity against any expenses, liabilities or losses as specified in Section 6.1 of this Article VI or incurred by any such director, officer, employee or agent in connection with any Proceeding referred to in Section 6.1 of this Article VI, whether or not the Corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the DGCL. The Corporation may enter into contracts with any director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation or of any Covered Entity in furtherance of the provisions of this Article VI and may create a trust fund, grant a security interest or use other means (including, without limitation, a letter of credit) to ensure the payment of such amounts as may be necessary to effect indemnification as provided or authorized in this Article VI.
SECTION 6.3 Indemnification Not Exclusive Right. The right of indemnification provided in this Article VI shall not be exclusive of any other rights to which an Indemnitee may otherwise be entitled, and the provisions of this Article VI shall inure to the benefit of the heirs and legal representatives of any Indemnitee under this Article VI and shall be applicable to Proceedings commenced or continuing after the adoption of this Article VI, whether arising from acts or omissions occurring before or after such adoption.
SECTION 6.4 Advancement of Expenses; Procedures; Presumptions and Effect of Certain Proceedings; Remedies. In furtherance, but not in limitation, of the foregoing provisions, the following procedures, presumptions and remedies shall apply with respect to advancement of expenses and the right to indemnification under this Article VI:
(a) Advancement of Expenses. All reasonable expenses (including, without limitation, attorneys' fees) incurred by or on behalf of the Indemnitee in connection with any Proceeding shall be advanced to the Indemnitee by the Corporation within 20 days after the receipt by the Corporation of a statement or statements from the Indemnitee requesting such advance or advances from time to time, whether prior to or after final disposition of such Proceeding. Such statement or statements shall reasonably evidence the expenses incurred by the Indemnitee and, if required by law or the provisions of this Article VI at the time of such advance, shall include or be accompanied by an undertaking by or on behalf of the Indemnitee to repay the amounts advanced if ultimately it should be determined that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified against such expenses pursuant to this Article VI.
(b) Procedure for Determination of Entitlement to Indemnification.
(i) To obtain indemnification under this Article VI, an Indemnitee shall submit to the Secretary a written request including such documentation and information as is reasonably available to the Indemnitee and reasonably necessary to determine whether and to what extent the Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification (the "Supporting Documentation"). The determination of the Indemnitee's entitlement to indemnification shall be made not later than 60 days after receipt by the Corporation of the written request for indemnification together with the Supporting Documentation. The Secretary shall, promptly upon receipt of such a request for indemnification, advise the Board in writing that the Indemnitee has requested indemnification.
(ii) The Indemnitee's entitlement to indemnification under this Article VI shall be determined in one of the following ways: (A) by a majority vote of the Disinterested Directors (as hereinafter defined in Section 6.4(e) of this Article VI), whether or not they constitute a quorum of the Board, or by a committee of Disinterested Directors designated by a majority vote of the Disinterested Directors; (B) by a written opinion of Independent Counsel (as hereinafter defined in Section 6.4(e) of this Article VI) if there are no Disinterested Directors or a majority of such Disinterested Directors so directs; (C) by the stockholders of the Corporation if the Board so directs; or (D) as provided in Section 6.4(c) of this Article VI.
(iii) In the event the determination of entitlement to indemnification is to be made by Independent Counsel pursuant to Section 6.4(b)(ii) of this Article VI, a majority of the Disinterested Directors shall select the Independent Counsel, but only an Independent Counsel to which the Indemnitee does not reasonably object.
(c) Presumptions and Effect of Certain Proceedings. If the person or persons empowered under Section 6.4(b) of this Article VI to determine entitlement to indemnification shall not have been appointed or shall not have made a determination within 60 days after receipt by the Corporation of the request therefor, together with the Supporting Documentation, the Indemnitee shall be deemed to be, and shall be, entitled to indemnification, unless (A) the Indemnitee misrepresented or failed to disclose a material fact in making the request for indemnification or in the Supporting Documentation or (B) such indemnification is prohibited by law. The termination of any Proceeding described in Section 6.1 of this Article VI, or of any claim, issue or matter therein, by judgment, order, settlement or conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, adversely affect the right of the Indemnitee to indemnification or create a presumption that the Indemnitee did not act in good faith and in a manner which the Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation or, with respect to any criminal proceeding, that the Indemnitee had reasonable cause to believe that such conduct was unlawful.
(d) Remedies of Indemnitee. (i) In the event that a determination is made pursuant to Section 6.4(b) of this Article VI that the Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification under this Article VI, (A) the Indemnitee shall be entitled to seek an adjudication of entitlement to such indemnification either, at the Indemnitee's sole option, in (x) an appropriate court of the State of Delaware or any other court of competent jurisdiction or (y) an arbitration to be conducted by a single arbitrator pursuant to the rules of the American Arbitration Association and (B) any such judicial proceeding or arbitration shall be de novo and the Indemnitee shall not be prejudiced by reason of such adverse determination.
(ii) If a determination shall have been made or deemed to have been made, pursuant to Section 6.4(b) or (c) of this Article VI, that the Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification, the Corporation shall be obligated to pay the amounts constituting such indemnification within 45 days after such determination has been made or deemed to have been made and shall be conclusively bound by such determination, unless (A) the Indemnitee misrepresented or failed to disclose a material fact in making the request for indemnification or in the Supporting Documentation or (B) such indemnification is prohibited by law. In the event that (X) advancement of expenses is not timely made pursuant to Section 6.4(a) of this Article VI or (Y) payment of indemnification is not made within 45 days after a determination of entitlement to indemnification has been made or
deemed to have been made pursuant to Section 6.4(b) or (c) of this Article VI, the Indemnitee shall be entitled to seek judicial enforcement of the Corporation's obligation to pay to the Indemnitee such advancement of expenses or indemnification. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Corporation may bring an action, in an appropriate court in the State of Delaware or any other court of competent jurisdiction, contesting the right of the Indemnitee to receive indemnification hereunder due to the occurrence of an event described in sub-clause (A) or (B) of this clause (ii) (a "Disqualifying Event"); provided, however, that in any such action the Corporation shall have the burden of proving the occurrence of such Disqualifying Event.
(iii) The Corporation shall be precluded from asserting in any judicial proceeding or arbitration commenced pursuant to this Section 6.4(d) that the procedures and presumptions of this Article VI are not valid, binding and enforceable and shall stipulate in any such court or before any such arbitrator that the Corporation is bound by all the provisions of this Article VI.
(iv) In the event that the Indemnitee, pursuant to this Section 6.4(d), seeks a judicial adjudication of or an award in arbitration to enforce rights under, or to recover damages for breach of, this Article VI, or in the event of a suit brought by the Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the Indemnitee shall be entitled to recover from the Corporation, and shall be indemnified by the Corporation against, any expenses actually and reasonably incurred by the Indemnitee if the Indemnitee prevails in such judicial adjudication, arbitration or suit. If it shall be determined in such judicial adjudication, arbitration or suit that the Indemnitee is entitled to receive part, but not all, of the indemnification or advancement of expenses sought, the expenses incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with such judicial adjudication, arbitration or action shall be prorated accordingly.
(e) Definitions. For purposes of this Article VI:
(i) "Disinterested Director" means a director of the Corporation who is not or was not a party to the Proceeding in respect of which indemnification is sought by the Indemnitee.
(ii) "Independent Counsel" means a law firm or a member of a law firm that neither presently is, nor in the past five years has been, retained to represent (x) the Corporation or the Indemnitee in any matter material to either such party or (y) any other party to the Proceeding giving rise to a claim for indemnification under this Article VI. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term "Independent Counsel" shall not include any person who, under the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing under the law of the State of Delaware, would have a conflict of interest in representing either the Corporation or the Indemnitee in an action to determine the Indemnitee's rights under this Article VI.
SECTION 6.5 Severability. If any provision or provisions of this Article VI shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable for any reason whatsoever: (a) the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Article VI (including, without limitation, all portions of any paragraph of this Article VI containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, that are not themselves invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby; and (b) to the fullest extent possible, the provisions of this Article VI (including, without limitation, all portions of any paragraph of this Article VI containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, that are not themselves invalid, illegal or enforceable) shall be construed so as to give effect to the intent manifested by the provision held invalid, illegal or unenforceable.
SECTION 6.6 Indemnification of Employees and Agents. Notwithstanding any other provision or provisions of this Article VI, the Corporation, to the fullest extent of the provisions of this Article VI with respect to the indemnification of directors and officers of the Corporation or any Covered Entity, may indemnify any person other than a director or officer of the Corporation or any Covered Entity, who is or was an employee or agent of the Corporation or a Covered Entity and who is or was involved in any manner (including, without limitation, as a party or a witness) or is threatened to be made so involved in any threatened, pending or completed Proceeding by reason of the fact that such person, or another person of whom such person is the legal representative, is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation or of a Covered Entity, whether the basis of such Proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a director, officer, employee or agent or in any other capacity while serving as a director, officer, employee or agent, against all expenses, liabilities and losses (including, without limitation, attorneys' fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes or penalties and amounts paid in settlement) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such Proceeding. The Corporation may also advance expenses incurred by such employee or agent in connection with any such Proceeding, consistent with the provisions of this Article VI with respect to the advancement of expenses of directors, officers and employees of the Corporation.
SECTION 7.1 Certificates for Shares and Uncertificated Shares.
(a) The shares of stock of the Corporation shall be uncertificated shares that may be evidenced by a book-entry system maintained by the registrar of such stock, or shall be represented by certificates, or a combination of both. To the extent that shares are represented by certificates, such certificates whenever authorized by the Board shall be in such form as shall be approved by the Board. The certificates representing shares of stock of each class shall be signed by, or in the name of, the Corporation by any two authorized officers of the Corporation, and sealed with the seal of the Corporation, which may be a facsimile thereof. Any or all such signatures may be facsimiles if countersigned by a transfer agent or registrar. Although any officer, transfer agent or registrar whose manual or facsimile signature is affixed to such a certificate ceases to be such officer, transfer agent or registrar before such certificate has been issued, it may nevertheless be issued by the Corporation with the same effect as if such officer, transfer agent or registrar were still such at the date of its issue. Within a reasonable time after the issuance or transfer of uncertificated shares, the Corporation shall send to the registered owner thereof a written notice in accordance with Section 151(f) of the DGCL.
(b) The stock ledger and blank share certificates, if any, shall be kept by the Secretary or by a transfer agent or by a registrar or by any other officer or agent designated by the Board.
SECTION 7.2 Transfer of Shares. Transfers of shares of stock of each class of the Corporation shall be made only on the books of the Corporation upon authorization by the registered holder thereof, or by such holder's attorney thereunto authorized by a power of attorney duly executed and filed with the Secretary or a transfer agent for such stock, if any, and if such shares are represented by a certificate, upon surrender of the certificate or certificates for such shares properly endorsed or accompanied by a duly executed stock transfer power (or by proper evidence of succession, assignment or authority to transfer) and the payment of any taxes thereon; provided, however, that the Corporation shall be entitled to recognize and enforce any lawful restriction on transfer. The person in whose name shares are registered on the books of the Corporation shall be deemed the owner thereof for all purposes as regards the Corporation; provided, however, that whenever any transfer of shares shall be made for collateral security and not absolutely, and written notice thereof shall be given to the Secretary or to such transfer agent, such fact shall be stated in the entry of the transfer. No transfer of shares shall be valid as against the Corporation, its stockholders and creditors for any purpose, except to render the transferee liable for the debts of the Corporation to the extent provided by law, until it shall have been entered in the stock records of the Corporation by an entry showing from and to whom transferred.
SECTION 7.3 Registered Stockholders and Addresses of Stockholders.
(a) The Corporation shall be entitled to recognize the exclusive right of a person registered on its records as the owner of shares of stock to receive dividends and to vote as such owner, shall be entitled to hold liable for calls and assessments a person registered on its records as the owner of shares of stock, and shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in such share or shares of stock on the part of any other person, whether or not it shall have express or other notice thereof, except as otherwise provided by the laws of the State of Delaware.
(b) Each stockholder shall designate to the Secretary or transfer agent of the Corporation an address at which notices of meetings and all other corporate notices may be given to such person, and, if any stockholder shall fail to designate such address, corporate notices may be given to such person by mail directed to such person at such person's post office address, if any, as the same appears on the stock record books of the Corporation or at such person's last known post office address.
SECTION 7.4 Lost, Destroyed and Mutilated Certificates. The holder of any certificate representing any shares of stock of the Corporation shall immediately notify the Corporation of any loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of such certificate; the Corporation may issue to such holder a new certificate or certificates for shares, upon the surrender of the mutilated certificate or, in the case of loss, theft or destruction of the certificate, upon satisfactory proof of such loss, theft or destruction; the Board, or a committee designated thereby, or the transfer agents and registrars for the stock, may, in their discretion, require the owner of the lost, stolen or destroyed certificate, or such person's legal representative, to give the Corporation a bond in such sum and with such surety or sureties as they may direct to indemnify the Corporation and said transfer agents and registrars against any claim that may be made on account of the alleged loss, theft or destruction of any such certificate or the issuance of such new certificate.
SECTION 7.5 Regulations. The Board may make such additional rules and regulations as it may deem expedient concerning the issue, transfer and registration of certificated or uncertificated shares of stock of each class and series of the Corporation and may make such rules and take such action as it may deem expedient concerning the issue of certificates in lieu of certificates claimed to have been lost, destroyed, stolen or mutilated.
SECTION 7.6 Fixing Date for Determination of Stockholders of Record. In order that the Corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to notice of or to vote at any meeting of the stockholders or any adjournment thereof, or entitled to receive payment of any dividend or other distribution or allotment of any rights, or entitled to exercise any rights in respect of any change, conversion or exchange of stock or for the purpose of any other lawful action, the Board may fix, in advance, a record date, which shall not be more than 60 days nor less than 10 days before the date of such meeting, nor more than 60 days prior to any other action. A determination of stockholders entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of the stockholders shall apply to any adjournment of the meeting; provided, however, that the Board may fix a new record date for the adjourned meeting.
SECTION 7.7 Transfer Agents and Registrars. The Board may appoint, or authorize any officer or officers to appoint, one or more transfer agents and one or more registrars.
The Board may approve a suitable corporate seal. The seal may be used by causing it or a facsimile thereof to be impressed or affixed or in any other manner reproduced.
The fiscal year of the Corporation shall be as fixed by the Board from time to time. If the Board makes no determination to the contrary, the fiscal year of the Corporation shall end on the 30th day of September in each year.
Waiver of Notice
Whenever any notice whatsoever is required to be given by these By-laws, by the Certificate or by law, the person entitled thereto may, either before or after the meeting or other matter in respect of which such notice is to be given, waive such notice in writing or as otherwise permitted by law, which shall be filed with or entered upon the records of the meeting or the records kept with respect to such other matter, as the case may be, and in such event such notice need not be given to such person and such waiver shall be deemed equivalent to such notice.
These By-laws may be altered, amended or repealed, in whole or in part, or new By-laws may be adopted by the stockholders or by the Board at any meeting thereof; provided, however, that notice of such alteration, amendment, repeal or adoption of new By-laws is contained in the notice of such meeting of the stockholders or in the notice of such meeting of the Board and, in the latter case, such notice is given not less than 24 hours prior to the meeting. Unless a higher percentage is required by the Certificate, all such amendments must be approved by either the holders of a majority of the combined voting power of the outstanding shares of all classes and series of capital stock of the Corporation entitled generally to vote in the election of directors of the Corporation, voting as a single class, or by a majority of the directors of the Board.
SECTION 12.1 Execution of Documents. The Board or any committee thereof shall designate the officers, employees and agents of the Corporation who shall have power to execute and deliver deeds, contracts, mortgages, bonds, debentures, indentures, notes, checks, drafts and other orders for the payment of money and other documents for and in the name of the Corporation and may authorize (including, without limitation, authority to redelegate) by written instrument to other officers, employees or agents of the Corporation. Such delegation may be by resolution or otherwise and the authority granted shall be general or confined to specific matters, all as the Board or any such committee may determine. In the absence of such designation referred to in the first sentence of this Section, the officers of the Corporation shall have such power so referred to, to the extent incident to the normal performance of their duties.
SECTION 12.2 Deposits. All funds of the Corporation not otherwise employed shall be deposited from time to time to the credit of the Corporation or otherwise as the Board or any committee thereof or any officer of the Corporation to whom power in respect of financial operations shall have been delegated by the Board or any such committee or in these By-laws shall select.
SECTION 12.3 Checks. All checks, drafts and other orders for the payment of money out of the funds of the Corporation, and all notes or other evidences of indebtedness of the Corporation, shall be signed on behalf of the Corporation in such manner as shall from time to time be determined by resolution of the Board or of any committee thereof or by any officer of the Corporation to whom power in respect of financial operations shall have been delegated by the Board or any such committee thereof or as set forth in these By-laws.
SECTION 12.4 Proxies in Respect of Stock or Other Securities of Other Corporations. The Board or any committee thereof shall designate the officers of the Corporation who shall have authority from time to time to appoint an agent or agents of the Corporation to exercise in the name and on behalf of the Corporation the powers and rights which the Corporation may have as the holder of stock or other securities in any other corporation or other entity, and to vote or consent in respect of such stock or securities; such designated officers may instruct the person or persons so appointed as to the manner of exercising such powers and rights; and such designated officers may execute or cause to be executed in the name and on behalf of the Corporation and under its corporate seal, or otherwise, such written proxies, powers of attorney or other instruments as they may deem necessary or proper in order that the Corporation may exercise its said powers and rights.
SECTION 12.5 Subject to Law and Certificate of Incorporation. All powers, duties and responsibilities provided for in these By-laws, whether or not explicitly so qualified, are qualified by the provisions of the Certificate and applicable laws.
ARTICLE II ALLOCATION OF TAX LIABILITIES
Allocation of Taxes
ARTICLE III PREPARATION AND FILING OF TAX RETURNS
Parent Returns
SpinCo Returns
Tax Accounting Practices
Right to Review Tax Returns
Apportionment of Earnings and Profits and Tax Attributes
ARTICLE IV PAYMENTS
Payment of Taxes
Adjustments Resulting in Underpayments
Indemnification Payments
Payors; Payees; Treatment
ARTICLE V TAX BENEFITS
ARTICLE VI TAX-FREE STATUS
Representations of and Restrictions on SpinCo
Restrictions on SpinCo
Restrictions on Parent
Procedures Regarding Post-Distribution Rulings and Unqualified Tax Opinions
Liability for Separation Tax Losses
Payment of Separation Taxes
ARTICLE VII ASSISTANCE AND COOPERATION
Assistance and Cooperation
Tax Return Information
Reliance by Parent
Reliance by SpinCo
ARTICLE VIII TAX RECORDS
Retention of Tax Records
Access to Tax Records
Preservation of Privilege
Page (s)
ARTICLE IX TAX CONTESTS
Control of Tax Contests
ARTICLE X EFFECTIVE DATE; TERMINATION OF PRIOR INTERCOMPANY TAX ALLOCATION AGREEMENTS
ARTICLE XI SURVIVAL OF OBLIGATIONS
ARTICLE XII TREATMENT OF PAYMENTS; TAX GROSS-UP
Treatment of Tax Indemnity and Tax Benefit Payment
Tax Gross-Up
ARTICLE XIII DISAGREEMENTS
ARTICLE XIV EXPENSES
ARTICLE XV MISCELLANEOUS
Further Action
ATB Entities
This TAX MATTERS AGREEMENT (this "Agreement") is entered into as of September 30, 2019, by and between Nuance Communications, Inc., a Delaware corporation ("Parent"), and Cerence Inc., a Delaware corporation ("SpinCo") (collectively, the "Companies" and each, a "Company").
WHEREAS, Parent and SpinCo have entered into a Separation and Distribution Agreement, dated as of September 30, 2019 (the "Separation and Distribution Agreement"), providing for the separation of the SpinCo Business from the Parent Business;
WHEREAS, Parent and its Subsidiaries have engaged in certain restructuring transactions to facilitate the Spin-Off, as set forth in the Separation Step Plan;
WHEREAS, pursuant to the Separation Step Plan and the terms of the Separation and Distribution Agreement, Parent will, among other things, make the Contribution and the Distribution;
WHEREAS, for U.S. federal Income Tax purposes, it is intended that the Contribution and the Distribution, taken together, qualify as a transaction that is generally tax-free pursuant to Sections 368(a)(1)(D) and 355(a) of the Code; and
WHEREAS, the parties desire to provide for and agree upon the allocation between the parties of liabilities for Taxes arising prior to, as a result of, and subsequent to the Distribution, and to provide for and agree upon other matters relating to Taxes.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements contained herein, the parties hereby agree as follows:
Section 1.01 Definition of Terms. For purposes of this Agreement (including the recitals hereof), the following terms have the following meanings, and capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein shall have the meaning ascribed to them in the Separation and Distribution Agreement.
"Active Trade or Business" means, with respect to each of the ATB Entities, the active conduct (as defined in Section 355(b)(2) of the Code and the Treasury Regulations thereunder) by such entity and its "separate affiliated group" (as defined in Section 355(b)(3)(B) of the Code) of the trades or businesses relied upon to satisfy Section 355(b) of the Code with respect to the Distribution or any other applicable transaction identified in the Tax Opinions/Rulings or Representation Letters.
"Actually Realized" or "Actually Realizes" means, for purposes of determining the timing of the incurrence of any Tax Liability or the realization of a Refund (or any related Tax cost or Tax Benefit), whether by receipt or as a credit or other offset to Taxes otherwise payable, by a Person in respect of any payment, transaction, occurrence or event, the time at which the amount of cash Taxes paid (or Refund realized) by such Person is increased above (or reduced below) the amount of cash Taxes that such Person would have been required to pay (or Refund that such Person would have realized) but for such payment, transaction, occurrence or event.
"Affiliate" has the meaning set forth in the Separation and Distribution Agreement.
"Agreement" has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.
"Ancillary Agreements" has the meaning set forth in the Separation and Distribution Agreement.
"ATB Entities" means the entities listed on Schedule A.
"Business Day" means any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a day on which banking institutions are generally authorized or required by Law to close in New York, New York.
"Code" means the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
"Companies" or "Company" has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.
"Contribution" has the meaning set forth in the Separation and Distribution Agreement.
"Distribution" has the meaning set forth in the Separation and Distribution Agreement.
"Distribution Date" has the meaning set forth in the Separation and Distribution Agreement.
"Effective Time" means the effective time of the Distribution, as set forth in the Separation and Distribution Agreement.
"Fifty-Percent or Greater Interest" has the meaning ascribed to such term for purposes of Sections 355(d) and (e) of the Code and the Treasury Regulations thereunder.
"Filing Company" has the meaning set forth in Section 4.01.
"Final Determination" means the final resolution of liability for any Tax, which resolution may be for a specific issue or adjustment or for a Tax Period, (a) by IRS Form 870 or 870-AD (or any successor forms thereto), on the date of acceptance by or on behalf of the taxpayer, or by a comparable form under the Laws of a state, local or non-U.S. taxing jurisdiction, except that a Form 870 or 870-AD or comparable form shall not constitute a Final Determination to the extent that it reserves (whether by its terms or by operation of Law) the right of the taxpayer to file a claim for Refund or the right of the Tax Authority to assert a further deficiency in respect of such issue or adjustment or for such Tax Period (as the case may be); (b) by a decision, judgment, decree or other order by a court of competent jurisdiction, which has become final and unappealable; (c) by a closing agreement or accepted offer in compromise under Section 7121 or 7122 of the Code, or a comparable agreement under the Laws of a state, local or non-U.S. taxing jurisdiction; (d) by any allowance of a Refund in respect of an overpayment of Tax, but only after the expiration of all periods during which such Refund may be recovered (including by way of offset) by the jurisdiction imposing such Tax; (e) by a final settlement resulting from a competent authority proceeding or determination; or (f) by any other final disposition, including by reason of the expiration of the applicable statute of limitations or by mutual agreement of the parties.
"Governmental Authority" has the meaning set forth in the Separation and Distribution Agreement.
"Group" has the meaning set forth in the Separation and Distribution Agreement.
"Income Taxes" means all federal, state, local, and non-U.S. income or franchise Taxes or other Taxes based on income or net worth.
"IRS" means the United States Internal Revenue Service.
"Joint Return" means any Tax Return that includes both a member of the Parent Group and a member of the SpinCo Group.
"Law" has the meaning set forth in the Separation and Distribution Agreement.
"Loss" has the meaning set forth in Section 5.01(b).
"Non-Filing Company" has the meaning set forth in Section 4.01.
"Non-Recoverable VAT" has the meaning set forth in Section 2.01(c).
"Notified Action" has the meaning set forth in Section 6.04(a).
"Parent" has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.
"Parent Affiliated Group" means the affiliated group (as such term is defined in Section 1504 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations thereunder) of which Parent is the common parent.
"Parent Business" means all businesses and operations of the Parent Group, other than the SpinCo Business.
"Parent Group" has the meaning given to the term "Nuance Group" in the Separation and Distribution Agreement.
"Past Practices" has the meaning set forth in Section 3.03(a).
"Person" has the meaning set forth in the Separation and Distribution Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, any entity may be a Person regardless of whether it is treated as disregarded for U.S. federal Income Tax purposes.
"Post-Distribution Tax Period" means any Tax Period (or portion thereof) beginning after the Distribution Date.
"Pre-Distribution Tax Period" means any Tax Period (or portion thereof) ending on or before the close of the Distribution Date.
"Privileged Documentation" has the meaning set forth in Section 8.03.
"Proposed Acquisition Transaction" means a transaction or series of transactions (or any agreement, understanding or arrangement, within the meaning of Section 355(e) of the Code and Treasury Regulations Section 1.355-7, or any other regulations promulgated thereunder, to enter into a transaction or series of transactions), whether such transaction is supported by SpinCo management or shareholders, is a hostile acquisition, or otherwise, as a result of which SpinCo would merge or consolidate with any other Person or as a result of which any Person or Persons would (directly or indirectly) acquire, or have the right to acquire, from SpinCo and/or one or more holders of outstanding shares of SpinCo Capital Stock, a number of shares of SpinCo Capital Stock that would, when combined with any other changes in ownership of SpinCo Capital Stock pertinent for purposes of Section 355(e) of the Code, comprise 40% or more of (i) the value of all outstanding shares of stock of SpinCo as of the date of such transaction, or, in the case of a series of transactions, the date of the last transaction of such series, or (ii) the total combined voting power of all outstanding shares of voting stock of SpinCo as of the date of such transaction, or in the case of a series of transactions, the date of the last transaction of such series. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Proposed Acquisition Transaction shall not include (i) the adoption by SpinCo of a shareholder rights plan or (ii) issuances by SpinCo that satisfy Safe Harbor VIII (relating to acquisitions in connection with a person's performance of services) or Safe Harbor IX (relating to acquisitions by a retirement plan of an employer) of Treasury Regulations Section 1.355-7(d). For purposes of determining whether a transaction constitutes an indirect acquisition, any recapitalization resulting in a shift of voting
power or any redemption of shares of stock shall be treated as an indirect acquisition of shares of stock by the non-exchanging shareholders. This definition and the application thereof are intended to monitor compliance with Section 355(e) of the Code and shall be interpreted accordingly. Any clarification of, or change in, the statute or regulations promulgated under Section 355(e) of the Code shall be incorporated into this definition and its interpretation.
"Recipient" means, with respect to the transfers of assets and/or the assumption of liabilities occurring pursuant to any of the Separation Transactions, the Person receiving assets and/or assuming liabilities.
"Recoverable VAT" has the meaning set forth in Section 2.01(c).
"Refund" means any cash refund of Taxes or reduction of cash Taxes paid by means of credit, deduction, offset or otherwise.
"Representation Letters" means the statements of facts and representations, officer's certificates, representation letters and any other materials (including, without limitation, a Ruling Request and any related supplemental submissions to the IRS or other Tax Authority) delivered by Parent, SpinCo or any of their respective Affiliates or representatives in connection with the rendering by Tax Counsel, and/or the issuance by the IRS or other Tax Authority, of the Tax Opinions/Rulings.
"Restriction Period" means the period beginning on the date of this Agreement and ending on, and including, the last day of the two-year period following the Distribution Date.
"Responsible Company" means, with respect to any Tax Return, the Company having responsibility for preparing such Tax Return under this Agreement.
"Retention Date" has the meaning set forth in Section 8.01.
"Ruling Request" means any letter filed by Parent with the IRS or other Tax Authority requesting a ruling regarding certain tax consequences of any of the Separation Transactions (including all attachments, exhibits, and other materials submitted with such ruling request letter) and any amendments or supplements to such ruling request letter.
"Section 336(e) Election" has the meaning set forth in Section 7.07.
"Separate Return" means (i) in the case of the SpinCo Group, a Tax Return of any member of that Group (including any consolidated, combined, affiliated or unitary Tax Return) that does not include, for all or any portion of the relevant Tax Period, any member of the Parent Group and (ii) in the case of the Parent Group, a Tax Return of any member of that Group (including any consolidated, combined, affiliated or unitary Tax Return) that does not include, for all or any portion of the relevant Tax Period, any member of the SpinCo Group.
"Separation and Distribution Agreement" has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.
"Separation Related Tax Contest" means any Tax Contest in which the IRS, another Tax Authority or any other party asserts a position that could reasonably be expected to (a) adversely affect, jeopardize or prevent (i) the Tax-Free Status of the Contribution and the Distribution, taken together, or (ii) the intended tax treatment of any Separation Transaction (other than a Separation Transaction described in clause (i)) as set forth in the Tax Opinions/Rulings (or if not set forth in the Tax Opinions/Rulings, in the Separation Step Plan) or (b) otherwise affect the amount of Taxes imposed with respect to any of the Separation Transactions.
"Separation Step Plan" has the meaning set forth in the Separation and Distribution Agreement.
"Separation Tax Losses" means (i) all Taxes imposed pursuant to (or any reduction in a Refund resulting from) any settlement, Final Determination, judgment or otherwise; (ii) all third-party accounting, legal and other professional fees and court costs incurred in connection with such Taxes (or reduction in a Refund), as well as any other out-of-pocket costs incurred in connection with such Taxes (or reduction in a Refund); and (iii) all third-party costs, expenses and damages associated with any stockholder litigation or other controversy and any amount required to be paid by Parent (or any Affiliate of Parent) or SpinCo (or any Affiliate of SpinCo) in respect of any liability of or to shareholders, whether paid to shareholders or to the IRS or any other Tax Authority, in each case, resulting from (x) the failure of the Contribution and the Distribution, taken together, to have Tax-Free Status; or (y) the failure of a Separation Transaction to have the intended tax treatment described in the Tax Opinions/Rulings (or, if not described in the Tax Opinions/Rulings, in the Separation Step Plan); provided that amounts shall be treated as having been required to be paid for purposes of clause (iii) of this definition to the extent they are paid in a good-faith compromise or settlement of an asserted claim.
"Separation Transactions" has the meaning set forth in the Separation and Distribution Agreement.
"SpinCo Affiliated Group" means the affiliated group (as such term is defined in Section 1504 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations thereunder) of which SpinCo is the common parent following the Distribution Date.
"SpinCo Business" has the meaning set forth in the Separation and Distribution Agreement.
"SpinCo Business Balance Sheet" has the meaning set forth in the Separation and Distribution Agreement.
"SpinCo Capital Stock" means all classes or series of capital stock of SpinCo, including (i) the SpinCo Common Stock, (ii) all options, warrants and other rights to acquire such capital stock and (iii) all instruments properly treated as stock in SpinCo for U.S. federal Income Tax purposes.
"SpinCo Common Stock" has the meaning set forth in the Separation and Distribution Agreement.
"SpinCo Group" has the meaning set forth in the Separation and Distribution Agreement.
"SpinCo Liabilities" has the meaning set forth in the Separation and Distribution Agreement.
"Spin-Off" has the meaning set forth in the Separation and Distribution Agreement.
"Straddle Period" means any Tax Period beginning on or before the Distribution Date and ending after the Distribution Date.
"Subsidiary" has the meaning set forth in the Separation and Distribution Agreement.
"Tax" or "Taxes" means any taxes, fees, assessments, duties or other similar charges imposed by any Tax Authority, including, income, gross income, gross receipts, profits, capital stock, franchise, withholding, payroll, social security, workers' compensation, unemployment, disability, property, ad valorem, stamp, excise, severance, occupation, service, sales, use, license, lease, transfer, import, export, value-added, alternative minimum, estimated, unclaimed property or escheat, or other tax (including any fee, assessment, duty, or other charge in the nature of or in lieu of any tax), and any interest, penalties, additions to tax or additional amounts in respect of the foregoing. For the avoidance of doubt, Tax includes any increase in Tax as a result of a Final Determination.
"Tax Advisor" means a U.S. Tax counsel or other Tax advisor of recognized national standing reasonably acceptable to both Companies.
"Tax Advisor Dispute" has the meaning set forth in Section 13.01.
"Tax Attributes" means a net operating loss, net capital loss, unused investment credit, unused foreign tax credit, excess charitable contribution, general business credit, research and development credit or any other similar Tax item that could reduce a Tax or create a Tax Benefit.
"Tax Authority" means any Governmental Authority imposing any Tax, charged with the collection of Taxes or otherwise having jurisdiction with respect to any Tax.
"Tax Benefit" means any loss, deduction, Refund, credit, offset or other Tax item reducing Taxes paid or payable. For purposes of this Agreement, the amount of any Tax Benefit Actually Realized by a Person as a result of any such Tax item shall be determined on a "with and without basis" as the excess of (a) the hypothetical liability of such Person for the relevant Tax for the relevant Tax Period, calculated as if such Tax item had not been utilized but with all other facts unchanged, over (b) the actual liability of such Person for such Tax for such Tax
Period, calculated taking into account such Tax item (and, for this purpose, treating a Refund as a reduction in liability for Tax).
"Tax Contest" means an audit, review, examination or any other administrative or judicial proceeding with respect to Taxes (including any administrative or judicial review of any claim for any Refund or other Tax Benefit).
"Tax Counsel" means a U.S. Tax counsel or other Tax advisor of recognized national standing acceptable to Parent, in its sole discretion.
"Tax-Free Status" means the qualification of (i) the Contribution and the Distribution, taken together, as a "reorganization" described in Sections 368(a)(1)(D) and 355(a) of the Code, (ii) the Distribution as a transaction in which the stock distributed thereby is "qualified property" for purposes of Sections 355(c) and 361(c) of the Code (and neither Section 355(d) or 355(e) of the Code causes such stock to be treated as other than "qualified property" for such purposes), (iii) the Contribution and the Distribution, taken together, as a transaction in which Parent, SpinCo, and the members of each of the Parent Group and SpinCo Group, as applicable, recognize no income or gain for U.S. federal Income Tax purposes pursuant to Sections 355, 361 and/or 1032 of the Code, other than intercompany items or excess loss accounts taken into account pursuant to the Treasury Regulations promulgated pursuant to Section 1502 of the Code.
"Tax Liability" means any liability or obligation for Taxes.
"Tax Opinions/Rulings" means the opinions of Tax Counsel and/or the rulings by the IRS or other Tax Authorities delivered to Parent in connection with the Spin-Off, or otherwise with respect to the Separation Transactions.
"Tax Period" means, with respect to any Tax, the period for which the Tax is reported or required to be reported as provided under the Code or other applicable Law.
"Tax Records" means any Tax Returns, Tax Return workpapers, documentation relating to any Tax Contest, and any other books of account or records (whether or not in written, electronic or other tangible or intangible forms and whether or not stored on electronic or any other medium) maintained or required to be maintained under the Code or other applicable Laws or under any record retention agreement with any Tax Authority, in each case, with respect to otherwise relating to Taxes.
"Tax Return" means any report of Taxes due, any claim for Refund of Taxes paid, any information return with respect to Taxes, or any other report, statement, declaration, or document in respect of Taxes filed or required to be filed under the Code or other Law, including any attachments, exhibits or other materials submitted with any of the foregoing, and including any amendments or supplements to any of the foregoing.
"Transferor" means, with respect to the transfers of assets and/or assumption of liabilities occurring pursuant to any of the Separation Transactions, the Person transferring assets and/or whose liabilities are being assumed.
"Treasury Regulations" means the regulations promulgated under the Code.
"Unqualified Tax Opinion" means an unqualified "will" opinion of a Tax Counsel, and on which Parent may rely, to the effect that (a) a transaction will not affect the Tax-Free Status of the Contribution and the Distribution, taken together, and (b) will not adversely affect any of the conclusions set forth in the Tax Opinions/Rulings; provided that any tax opinion obtained in connection with a proposed acquisition of SpinCo Capital Stock entered into during the Restriction Period shall not qualify as an Unqualified Tax Opinion unless such tax opinion concludes that such proposed acquisition will not be treated as "part of a plan (or series of related transactions)," within the meaning of Section 355(e) of the Code and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, that includes the Distribution; provided, that any such opinion must assume that the Contribution and the Distribution, taken together, would have qualified for Tax-Free Status if the transaction in question did not occur.
"VAT" means any value-added Taxes, goods and services Taxes, or any similar or equivalent Taxes in any relevant jurisdiction.
ALLOCATION OF TAX LIABILITIES
Section 2.01 Taxes.
(a) Except as otherwise provided in Section 2.01(c), Parent shall be responsible for all Taxes (i) of the SpinCo Group for any Pre-Distribution Tax Period; (ii) of the SpinCo Group for any Straddle Period, but only to the extent allocated to Parent pursuant to Section 2.02; or (iii) imposed under Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502–6 or under any comparable or similar provision of state, local or non-U.S. Laws on any member of the SpinCo Group solely as a result of such company being a member of a consolidated, combined, affiliated or unitary group with any member of the Parent Group during any Tax Period, in each case to the extent in excess of amounts provided for in respect of such Taxes on the SpinCo Business Balance Sheet; provided that, solely for purposes of this Section 2.01(a), "SpinCo Group" shall not include any Person that becomes a Subsidiary of SpinCo after the Distribution.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in Section 2.01(c), SpinCo shall be responsible for all Taxes (i) of the SpinCo Group which are not the responsibility of Parent pursuant to Section 2.01(a) (including Income Taxes for Post-Distribution Tax Periods of any member of the SpinCo Group) and (ii) of the Parent Group attributable to acts or omissions of any member of the SpinCo Group taken after the Distribution (other than acts or omissions in the ordinary course of business or otherwise contemplated by the Separation and Distribution Agreement and Ancillary Agreements).
(c) All charges in respect of the transfers occurring pursuant to the Separation Transactions shall be exclusive of any VAT. Without limiting any provision of this
Agreement, (i) in the case of any VAT arising in connection with a Separation Transaction that is recoverable by the Recipient or any of its Affiliates under applicable Law (whether by way of Refund, input VAT, or otherwise) (any such VAT, "Recoverable VAT"), the Company of which Recipient is an Affiliate shall be responsible for any such Recoverable VAT, unless any such Recoverable VAT becomes non-recoverable as a result of an action or failure to act by the Transferor or any of its Affiliates, in which case the Company of which Transferor is an Affiliate shall be responsible for such VAT, and (b) in the case of any other VAT arising in connection with a Separation Transaction (such VAT, "Non-Recoverable VAT"), Parent shall be responsible for any such Non-Recoverable VAT, unless any such Non-Recoverable VAT becomes non-recoverable as a result of an action or failure to act by SpinCo or any of its Affiliates, in which case SpinCo shall be responsible for such VAT. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, to the extent a Company (or any of its Affiliates) recovers (whether by way of Refund, input VAT, or otherwise) any VAT that was paid or otherwise borne by the other Company (or any of its Affiliates), the Company that received (or the Affiliate of which received) such recovery shall, without duplication of any other amounts payable pursuant to this Agreement, promptly pay over to such other Company (or its Affiliate) the amount of such recovery. For purposes of determining whether a Company (or its Affiliate) has received any such recovery of VAT, any Refund or input VAT received by a Company (or its Affiliate) shall be considered to be attributable to VAT arising in connection with the Separation Transactions prior to any Refund or input VAT being considered to be attributable to other payments of VAT. The Companies and their Affiliates shall cooperate to minimize any VAT and in obtaining any Refund, return or rebate of VAT, or applying an exemption or zero-rating for goods or services giving rise to any VAT, including by filing any exemption or other similar forms or providing valid tax identification numbers or other relevant registration numbers, certificates, invoices, or other documents.
Section 2.02 Allocation of Taxes.
(a) If any member of a Group is permitted but not required under applicable U.S. federal, state, local or non-U.S. Laws to treat the Distribution Date as the last day of a Tax Period with respect to any member of the SpinCo Group, then the Companies shall treat such day as the last day of the applicable Tax Period under such applicable Law, and shall file any elections necessary or appropriate for such treatment; provided that, for the avoidance of doubt, this Section 2.02(a) shall not be construed to require Parent to change its taxable year or treat the Distribution Date as the last day of a Tax Period of any member of the Parent Group.
(b) Transactions occurring, or actions taken, on the Distribution Date but after the Distribution outside the ordinary course of business by, or with respect to, any member of the SpinCo Group shall be deemed subject to the "next day rule" of Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-76(b)(1)(ii)(B) (and under any comparable or similar provision under state, local or non-U.S. Laws or regulations; provided that if there is no comparable or similar provision under state, local or foreign Laws or regulations, then the transaction will be deemed subject to the "next day rule" of Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502–76(b)(1)(ii)(B)) and as such shall for purposes of this Agreement be treated (and consistently reported by the Companies) as occurring in a Post-Distribution Tax Period of the SpinCo Group, as appropriate.
(c) Any Taxes for a Straddle Period with respect to the SpinCo Group (or entities in which any member of the SpinCo Group has an ownership interest) shall, for purposes of this Agreement, be apportioned between Parent and SpinCo based on the portion of the period ending on and including the Distribution Date and the portion of the period beginning after the Distribution Date, and each such portion of such period shall be deemed to be a Tax Period (whether or not it is in fact a Tax Period). Notwithstanding the foregoing, (a) any allocation of income or deductions required to determine any Income Taxes for a Straddle Period shall be made by means of a closing of the books and records of the SpinCo Group as of the close of business on the Distribution Date; provided that (i) Parent may elect to allocate Tax items (other than any extraordinary Tax items) ratably in the month in which the Distribution occurs (and if Parent so elects, SpinCo shall so elect) as described in Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-76(b)(2)(iii) and corresponding provisions of state, local, and non-U.S. Laws; and (ii) subject to clause (i), exemptions, allowances or deductions that are calculated on an annual basis, and not on a closing of the books method, (including depreciation and amortization deductions) shall be allocated between the period ending on and including the Distribution Date and the period beginning after the Distribution Date based on the number of days for the portion of the Straddle Period ending on and including the Distribution Date, on the one hand, and the number of days for the portion of the Straddle Period beginning after the Distribution Date, on the other hand, and (b) any VAT or other transaction-based Taxes for a Straddle Period shall be allocated between the portion of the period ending on and including the Distribution Date and the portion of the period beginning after the Distribution Date by means of a closing of the books and records of the SpinCo Group as of the close of business on the Distribution Date.
(d) All Taxes in respect of deferred revenue or prepaid income actually received in a Pre-Distribution Tax Period shall be treated as Taxes for a Pre-Distribution Tax Period, whether or not such Taxes are payable with respect to a Pre-Distribution Tax Period or deferred to a Post-Distribution Tax Period (whether by election or otherwise).
PREPARATION AND FILING OF TAX RETURNS
Section 3.01 Parent Returns. Parent shall make all determinations with respect to, have ultimate control over the preparation of, and, except as otherwise provided in Section 3.02(b), file all (i) Joint Returns and Separate Returns of the Parent Group, in each case as it determines to be mandatory or advisable for all Tax Periods and (ii) Separate Returns of the SpinCo Group for all Pre-Distribution Tax Periods and for all Straddle Periods.
Section 3.02 SpinCo Returns.
(a) SpinCo shall make all determinations with respect to, have ultimate control over the preparation of and file all Tax Returns (other than those described in Section 3.01) for the SpinCo Group as it determines to be mandatory or advisable and for all Tax Periods; provided that (i) SpinCo shall cause Consolidated Mobile Corp. to file a separate Tax Return and not as a member of the SpinCo Affiliated Group, commencing with the Tax Period beginning as of the Distribution Date, (ii) SpinCo and its eligible Subsidiaries as of immediately following the Distribution Date (for the avoidance of doubt, other than Consolidated Mobile Corp.) shall elect to file a consolidated Tax Return under Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-75 and file all Tax Returns as part of the SpinCo Affiliated Group, commencing with the Tax Period beginning as of the day immediately following the
Distribution Date and (iii) Consolidated Mobile Corp. shall not be included in the SpinCo Affiliated Group with respect to any Tax Period commencing before the date that is two years following the Distribution Date.
(b) SpinCo shall provide to Parent all information related to members of the SpinCo Group that is reasonably requested by Parent to complete any Tax Return which is the responsibility of Parent pursuant to Section 3.01, in the format reasonably requested by Parent, and as promptly as is reasonably practicable upon receiving such request. In particular, the SpinCo Group will support Parent with respect to data collection and compilation requirements, and will sign and file or cause to be signed and filed any Tax Return described in Section 3.01 that any member of the SpinCo Group is required by Law to sign and file.
(c) In the case of any Tax Return that is the responsibility of Parent pursuant to Section 3.01 and that relates to a Tax that is provided for on the SpinCo Business Balance Sheet, SpinCo shall pay to Parent the amount of the provision for such Tax no later than 10 days prior to the due date (including extensions) for the filing of such Tax Return.
Section 3.03 Tax Accounting Practices.
(a) Except as provided in Section 3.03(b), any Tax Return for any Pre-Distribution Tax Period, to the extent it relates to members of the SpinCo Group, shall be prepared in accordance with practices, accounting methods, elections, conventions and Tax positions used with respect to the Tax Return in question for periods prior to the Distribution ("Past Practices"), and, in the case of any item the treatment of which is not addressed by Past Practices, in accordance with generally acceptable Tax accounting practices. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for any Tax Return described in the preceding sentence, (i) a Company will not be required to follow Past Practices with either the written consent of the other Company (not to be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned) or a "more likely than not" (or stronger) level opinion from a Tax Advisor that the proposed method of reporting is correct and (ii) Parent shall have the right to determine which entities will be included in any consolidated, combined, affiliated or unitary Tax Return that it is responsible for filing.
(b) The Companies shall report the Separation Transactions for all Tax purposes in a manner consistent with the Tax Opinions/Rulings and the intended tax treatment set forth in the Separation Step Plan, unless, and only to the extent, an alternative position is required pursuant to a Final Determination. Parent shall determine the Tax treatment to be reported on any Tax Return of any Tax issue relating to the Separation Transactions that is not covered by the Tax Opinions/Rulings or the Separation Step Plan.
Section 3.04 Right to Review Tax Returns. Upon request, each Company shall make available to the other Company the portion of any Tax Return for the Pre-Distribution Tax Period that relates to the SpinCo Group that the first Company is responsible for preparing under this Article III and in respect of which the other Company could reasonably be expected to be
liable for an unreimbursed Tax Liability, and shall consider in good faith any reasonable comments made by the other Company with respect to items that could reasonably be expected to result in an unreimbursed Tax Liability to such other Company. Except as specifically provided in the preceding sentence, nothing contained in this Agreement (including in Article VII), the Separation and Distribution Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement shall permit or be deemed to permit SpinCo or any of its Affiliates or representatives to review or otherwise have access to any Joint Return or any Separate Return of the Parent Group.
Section 3.05 Apportionment of Earnings and Profits and Tax Attributes
(a) If the Parent Affiliated Group or a member of the Parent Affiliated Group has a Tax Attribute, the portion, if any, of such Tax Attribute required to be apportioned to SpinCo or any member of the SpinCo Group and treated as a carryover to the first Post-Distribution Tax Period of SpinCo (or such member) shall be determined in good faith by Parent in accordance with Treasury Regulations Sections 1.1502-21, 1.1502-21T, 1.1502-22, 1.1502-36, 1.1502-79 and, if applicable, 1.1502-21A and 1.1502-79A, and Parent shall be entitled to make any elections in respect of the foregoing (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any election available under Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-36(d)), in its sole discretion. Without limiting the foregoing, Parent shall be entitled, in its sole discretion, to make any elections available under Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-36 to reattribute to Parent any Tax Attributes (including, for the avoidance of doubt, capital loss and net operating loss carryovers) of the SpinCo Group (including, for the avoidance of doubt, Consolidated Mobile Corp. and its Subsidiaries).
(b) No Tax Attribute with respect to consolidated, combined, affiliated or unitary federal Income Tax of the Parent Affiliated Group, other than those Tax Attributes described in Section 3.05(a), and no Tax Attribute with respect to consolidated, combined, affiliated or unitary state, local or non-U.S. Income Tax, in each case, arising in respect of a Joint Return shall be apportioned to SpinCo or any member of the SpinCo Group, except as Parent (or such member of the Parent Group as Parent shall designate) determines in good faith is otherwise required under applicable Law.
(c) Parent (or its designee) shall determine the portion, if any, of any Tax Attribute which must (absent a Final Determination to the contrary) be apportioned to SpinCo or any member of the SpinCo Group in accordance with this Section 3.05 and applicable Law and the amount of tax basis and earnings and profits to be apportioned to SpinCo or any member of the SpinCo Group in accordance with applicable Law, and shall provide written notice of the calculation thereof to SpinCo as soon as reasonably practicable after the information necessary to make such calculation becomes available to Parent. For the avoidance of doubt, Parent shall not be liable to any member of the SpinCo Group in respect of any determination under this Section 3.05, or for any failure of any determination under this Section 3.05 to be accurate under applicable Law.
Section 4.01 Payment of Taxes. In the case of any Tax Return reflecting Taxes for which the Company that is not legally responsible for filing such Tax Return (the "Non-Filing Company") is responsible for payment, in whole or in part, under Article II, (i) the Company responsible for filing such Tax Return (the "Filing Company") shall pay any Taxes shown on such Tax Return as required to be paid to the applicable Tax Authority on or before the relevant due date (and provide notice and proof of payment to the Non-Filing Company), (ii) the
Responsible Company shall compute the amount of such Taxes allocable to the Non-Filing Company under the provisions of Article II and shall provide written notice, accompanied by a statement detailing the Taxes paid and describing in reasonable detail the particulars relating thereto, to the other Company and (iii) the Non-Filing Company shall pay to the Filing Company the amount of such Taxes allocable to the Non-Filing Company under the provisions of Article II within twenty (20) Business Days of the date of receipt of such written notice and statement; provided that no such payment shall be required to be made earlier than five (5) Business Days prior to the relevant due date for the payment of such Taxes.
Section 4.02 Adjustments Resulting in Underpayments. In the case of any adjustment pursuant to a Final Determination with respect to any Tax Return reflecting Taxes for which the Non-Filing Company is responsible for payment, in whole or in part, under Article II, (i) the Filing Company shall pay to the applicable Tax Authority when due any additional Taxes due with respect to such Tax Return required to be paid as a result of such adjustment, (ii) the Responsible Company shall compute the amount of such Taxes allocable to the Non-Filing Company under the provisions of Article II and shall provide written notice, accompanied by a statement detailing the Taxes paid and describing in reasonable detail the particulars relating thereto, to the other Company and (iii) the Non-Filing Company shall pay to the Filing Company the amount of such Taxes allocable to the Non-Filing Company under the provisions of Article II within twenty (20) Business Days of the date of receipt of such written notice and statement; provided that no such payment shall be required to be made earlier than five (5) Business Days prior to the date the additional Tax is required to be paid to the applicable Tax Authority.
Section 4.03 Indemnification Payments. Unless otherwise specified in this Agreement, all indemnification payments required to be made under this Agreement shall be made within twenty (20) Business Days of the date of receipt by the indemnifying Company of written notice from the indemnified Company of the amount owed, together with reasonable documentation showing the basis for the calculation of such amount and evidence of payment of such amounts by the indemnified Company to the relevant Tax Authority or other recipient.
Section 4.04 Payors; Payees; Treatment. All payments made under this Agreement shall be made by Parent directly to SpinCo and by SpinCo directly to Parent; provided, however, that if the Companies mutually agree with respect to any such payment, any member of the Parent Group, on the one hand, may make such indemnification payment to any member of the SpinCo Group, on the other hand, and vice versa (for the avoidance of doubt, if a Company makes a request to the other Company to the effect that any payment required to be made by it to the other Company or received by it from the other Company, in each case, pursuant to this Agreement, be made or received by a member of the relevant Company's Group other than a Company, the other Company's consent to such request shall not be unreasonably
withheld, conditioned or delayed). All payments made pursuant to this Agreement shall be treated in the manner described in Article XII.
Section 5.01 Tax Benefits.
(a) Except as set forth below, (i) Parent shall be entitled to any Refund (and any interest thereon received from the applicable Tax Authority) of any Taxes for which Parent is liable hereunder and (ii) SpinCo shall be entitled to any Refund (and any interest thereon received from the applicable Tax Authority) of any Taxes for which SpinCo is liable hereunder (other than any Refund to which Parent is entitled pursuant to clause (i) above). The Company receiving a Refund to which another Company is entitled hereunder, in whole or in part, shall pay over the amount of such Refund (or portion thereof) (and any interest on such amount received from the applicable Tax Authority but net of any costs and expenses (including Taxes) incurred by the Company (or a member of its Group) receiving such Refund in connection with obtaining or securing such Refund) to such other Company within twenty (20) Business Days after the receipt of such Refund or application of such Refund against Taxes otherwise payable. To the extent that any Refund (or portion thereof) in respect of which any amounts were paid over pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence is subsequently disallowed by the applicable Tax Authority, the Company that received such amounts shall promptly repay such amounts (together with any penalties, interest or other charges imposed by the relevant Tax Authority) to the other Company.
(b) If (i) a member of the SpinCo Group Actually Realizes any Tax Benefit as result of (A) an adjustment pursuant to a Final Determination that increases Taxes for which a member of the Parent Group is liable hereunder or otherwise, (B) any liability, obligation, loss or payment (each, a "Loss") for which a member of the Parent Group is required to indemnify any member of the SpinCo Group pursuant to this Agreement, the Separation and Distribution Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement (in each case, without duplication of any amounts payable or taken into account under this Agreement, the Separation and Distribution Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement) or (C) any Section 336(e) Election (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any Tax Benefit Actually Realized by any member of the SpinCo Group as a result of any step-up in asset basis for U.S. federal Income Tax purposes resulting from such Section 336(e) Election, except to the extent any such Tax Benefit is directly attributable to Taxes imposed on any member of the Parent Group as a result of such Section 336(e) Election and for which a member of the SpinCo Group has actually indemnified Parent pursuant to this Agreement), or (ii) a member of the Parent Group Actually Realizes any Tax Benefit as a result of (A) an adjustment pursuant to a Final Determination that increases Taxes for which a member of the SpinCo Group is liable hereunder or otherwise or (B) any Loss for which a member of the SpinCo Group is required to indemnify any member of the Parent Group pursuant to this Agreement, the Separation and Distribution Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement (in each case, without duplication of any amounts payable or taken into account under this Agreement, the Separation and Distribution Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement), SpinCo or Parent, as the case may be, shall make a payment to the other Company in an amount equal to the amount
of such Actually Realized Tax Benefit in cash within twenty (20) Business Days of Actually Realizing such Tax Benefit. To the extent that any Tax Benefit (or portion thereof) in respect of which any amounts were paid over pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section 5.01(b) is subsequently disallowed by the applicable Tax Authority, the Company that received such amounts shall promptly repay such amounts (together with any penalties, interest or other charges imposed by the relevant Tax Authority) to the other Company.
(c) No later than twenty (20) Business Days after a Tax Benefit described in Section 5.01(b) is Actually Realized by a member of the Parent Group or a member of the SpinCo Group, Parent or SpinCo, as the case may be, shall provide the other Company with a written calculation of the amount payable to such other Company pursuant to Section 5.01(b). In the event that Parent or SpinCo, as the case may be, disagrees with any such calculation described in this Section 5.01(c), Parent or SpinCo shall so notify the other Company in writing within twenty (20) Business Days of receiving such written calculation. Parent and SpinCo shall endeavor in good faith to resolve such disagreement, and, failing that, the amount payable under this Article V shall be determined in accordance with the disagreement resolution provisions of Article XIII as promptly as practicable.
TAX-FREE STATUS
Section 6.01 Representations of and Restrictions on SpinCo.
(a) Each of Parent and SpinCo hereby represents and warrants that (A) it has examined all Ruling Requests, the Representation Letters and the Tax Opinions/Rulings (including, without limitation, the representations to the extent that they relate to the plans, proposals, intentions and policies of it, its Subsidiaries, its business or its Group), and (B) to the extent in reference to it, its Subsidiaries, its business or its Group, the facts presented and the representations made therein are true, correct and complete.
(b) SpinCo hereby represents and warrants that (A) it has no plan or intention of taking any action, or failing to take any action (or causing or permitting any member of the SpinCo Group to take or fail to take any action), or knows of any circumstance, that could reasonably be expected to (i) adversely affect, jeopardize or prevent the Tax-Free Status of the Contribution and the Distribution, taken together, (ii) adversely affect, jeopardize or prevent the intended tax treatment of any Separation Transaction (other than a Separation Transaction described in clause (i)) as set forth in the Tax Opinions/Rulings (or if not set forth in the Tax Opinions/Rulings, in the Separation Step Plan) or (iii) cause any representation or factual statement made in this Agreement, the Separation and Distribution Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement, any Ruling Requests, the Representation Letters or the Tax Opinions/Rulings to be untrue, and (B) during the period beginning two years before the Distribution Date and ending on the Distribution Date, there was no "agreement, understanding, arrangement, substantial negotiations or discussions" (as such terms are defined in Treasury Regulations Section 1.355-7(h)) by any one or more officers or directors of any member of the SpinCo Group or by any other person or persons with the implicit or explicit permission of one or more of such officers or
directors regarding an acquisition of all or a significant portion of the SpinCo Capital Stock (and any predecessor); provided that no representation or warranty is made by SpinCo regarding any "agreement, understanding, arrangement, substantial negotiations or discussions" (as such terms are defined in Treasury Regulations Section 1.355-7(h)) by any one or more officers or directors of Parent.
Section 6.02 Restrictions on SpinCo.
(a) SpinCo shall not take or fail to take, or cause or permit any Affiliate of SpinCo to take or fail to take, any action if such action or failure to act would be inconsistent with or cause to be untrue any statement, information, covenant or representation in a Ruling Request, Representation Letters or Tax Opinions/Rulings. SpinCo shall not take or fail to take, or cause or permit any Affiliate of SpinCo to take or fail to take, any action if such action or failure to act would or reasonably could be expected to adversely affect, jeopardize or prevent (A) the Tax-Free Status of the Contribution and the Distribution, taken together, or (B) the intended tax treatment of any Separation Transaction (other than a Separation Transaction described in clause (A)) as set forth in the Tax Opinions/Rulings (or if not set forth in the Tax Opinions/Rulings, in the Separation Step Plan).
(b) From the Distribution Date until the first Business Day after the Restriction Period, SpinCo shall (i) maintain its status as a company engaged in an Active Trade or Business and (ii) not engage in any transaction that would or reasonably could result in it ceasing to be a company engaged in an Active Trade or Business.
(c) From the Distribution Date until the first Business Day after the Restriction Period, SpinCo shall not:
(i) enter into or permit to occur any Proposed Acquisition Transaction, or, to the extent SpinCo has the right to prohibit any Proposed Acquisition Transaction, permit any Proposed Acquisition Transaction to occur;
(ii) merge or consolidate with any other Person, or liquidate or partially liquidate for U.S. federal income Tax purposes, provided that this Section 6.02(c)(ii) shall not apply to mergers, consolidations, liquidations, or partial liquidations effected exclusively between or among Affiliates of SpinCo in existence as of the date of this Agreement and which do not result in SpinCo (or any successor) ceasing to exist as a corporation for U.S. federal income Tax purposes;
(iii) in a single transaction or series of transactions sell or transfer 30% or more of the gross assets of any Active Trade or Business or 30% or more of the consolidated gross assets of the SpinCo Group (such percentages to be measured based on fair market value as of the Distribution Date);
(iv) redeem or otherwise repurchase (directly or through an Affiliate of SpinCo) any SpinCo Capital Stock;
(v) amend its certificate of incorporation (or other organizational documents), or take any other action, whether through a stockholder vote or otherwise, affecting the voting rights of SpinCo Capital Stock (including, without limitation, through the conversion of one class of SpinCo Capital Stock into another class of SpinCo Capital Stock);
(vi) cause or permit any ATB Entity to cease to engage in an Active Trade or Business; or
(vii) take any other action or actions (including any action or transaction that would be reasonably likely to be inconsistent with any representation made in a Ruling Request, the Representation Letters or the Tax Opinions/Rulings) which in the aggregate (and taking into account any other transactions described in this subparagraph (c)) would or reasonably could have the effect of causing or permitting one or more Persons (whether or not acting in concert) to acquire, directly or indirectly, stock representing a Fifty-Percent or Greater Interest in SpinCo (or any successor) or otherwise jeopardize the Tax-Free Status of the Contribution and the Distribution, taken together,
in each case, unless prior to taking any such action set forth in the foregoing clauses (i) through (vi), (A) SpinCo shall have requested that Parent obtain a private letter ruling (including a supplemental ruling, if applicable) from the IRS (a "Post-Distribution Ruling") in accordance with Sections 6.05(b) and (d) to the effect that such transaction will not affect such Tax-Free Status, and Parent shall have received such a Post-Distribution Ruling in form and substance satisfactory to Parent in its reasonable discretion, (B) SpinCo shall have provided Parent with an Unqualified Tax Opinion in form and substance satisfactory to Parent in its reasonable discretion (provided that Parent shall use reasonable efforts to timely make a determination as to whether an opinion is satisfactory to Parent, and provided, further, that in determining whether an opinion is satisfactory, Parent may consider, among other factors, the appropriateness of any underlying assumptions, and any management representations used as a basis for the Unqualified Tax Opinion) or (C) Parent shall have waived (which waiver may be withheld by Parent in its reasonable discretion) the requirement to obtain such Post-Distribution Ruling or Unqualified Tax Opinion.
(d) From the Distribution Date until the first Business Day after the one year period following the Distribution Date, no member of the SpinCo Group (including the SpinCo Affiliated Group or Consolidated Mobile Corp.) shall be liquidated or merged for U.S. federal Income Tax purposes.
Section 6.03 Restrictions on Parent. Parent agrees that it shall not take or fail to take, or cause or permit any Affiliate of Parent to take or fail to take, any action if such action or failure to act would or reasonably could be inconsistent with or cause to be untrue any statement, information, covenant or representation in a Ruling Request, any Representation Letters or Tax Opinions/Rulings. Parent shall not take or fail to take, or cause or permit any Affiliate of Parent to take or fail to take, any action that would or reasonably could be expected to adversely affect, jeopardize or prevent (A) the Tax-Free Status of the Contribution and the Distribution, taken together, or (B) adversely affect, jeopardize or prevent the intended tax treatment of any Separation Transaction (other than a Separation Transaction described in clause (A)) as set forth in the Tax Opinions/Rulings (or if not set forth in the Tax Opinions/Rulings, in the Separation Step Plan).
Section 6.04 Procedures Regarding Post-Distribution Rulings and Unqualified Tax Opinions.
(a) If SpinCo determines that it desires to take one of the actions described in clauses (i) through (vii) of Section 6.02(c) (a "Notified Action"), SpinCo shall notify Parent of this fact in writing.
(b) Post-Distribution Rulings or Unqualified Tax Opinions at SpinCo's Request. Unless Parent shall have waived the requirement to obtain such Post-Distribution Ruling or Unqualified Tax Opinion, upon the reasonable request of SpinCo pursuant to Section 6.02(c), Parent shall use commercially reasonable efforts in cooperating with SpinCo and in seeking to obtain, as expeditiously as possible, a Post-Distribution Ruling from the IRS (and/or any other applicable Tax Authority) or an Unqualified Tax Opinion for the purpose of permitting SpinCo to take the Notified Action, subject in all respects to the provisions of Section 6.02. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Parent shall not be required to file or cooperate in the filing of any request for a Post-Distribution Ruling under this Section 6.04(b) unless SpinCo represents that (A) it has reviewed such request for a Post-Distribution Ruling, and (B) all statements, information and representations relating to any member of the SpinCo Group contained in such request for a Post-Distribution Ruling are (subject to any qualifications therein) true, correct and complete. SpinCo shall reimburse Parent for all reasonable costs and expenses, including out-of-pocket expenses and expenses relating to the utilization of Parent personnel, incurred by the Parent Group in obtaining a Post-Distribution Ruling or Unqualified Tax Opinion requested by SpinCo within ten (10) Business Days after receiving an invoice from Parent therefor.
(c) Post-Distribution Rulings or Unqualified Tax Opinions at Parent's Request. Parent shall have the right to obtain a Post-Distribution Ruling or an Unqualified Tax Opinion at any time in its sole and absolute discretion. If Parent determines to obtain a Post-Distribution Ruling or an Unqualified Tax Opinion, SpinCo shall (and shall cause each Affiliate of SpinCo to) cooperate with Parent and take any and all actions reasonably requested by Parent in connection with obtaining the Post-Distribution Ruling or Unqualified Tax Opinion (including, without limitation, by making any representation or covenant or providing any materials or information requested by the IRS, any other applicable Tax Authority or a Tax Counsel; provided that SpinCo shall not be required to make (or cause any Affiliate of SpinCo to make) any representation or covenant that is inconsistent with historical facts or as to future matters or events over which matters or events it has no control). Parent shall reimburse SpinCo for all reasonable costs and expenses, including out-of-pocket expenses and expenses relating to the utilization of SpinCo personnel, incurred by the Parent Group in connection with such cooperation within ten (10) Business Days after receiving an invoice from SpinCo therefor.
(d) Parent shall have sole and exclusive control over the process of obtaining any Post-Distribution Ruling, and only Parent shall be permitted to apply for a Post-Distribution Ruling. In connection with obtaining a Post-Distribution Ruling, Parent shall (A) keep SpinCo informed in a timely manner of all material actions taken or proposed to be taken by Parent in connection therewith; (B) (1) reasonably in advance of the submission of any request for any Post-Distribution Ruling provide SpinCo with a draft copy thereof; (2) reasonably consider SpinCo comments on such draft copy; and (3) provide SpinCo with a
final copy of such Post-Distribution Ruling; and (C) provide SpinCo with notice reasonably in advance of, and SpinCo shall have the right to attend, any formally scheduled meetings with the IRS or other applicable Tax Authority (subject to the approval of the IRS or such Tax Authority) that relate to such Post-Distribution Ruling. Neither SpinCo nor any Affiliate of SpinCo directly or indirectly controlled by SpinCo shall seek any guidance from the IRS or any other Tax Authority (whether written, oral or otherwise) at any time concerning the Separation Transactions (including the impact of any transaction on the Separation Transactions).
Section 6.05 Liability for Separation Tax Losses.
(a) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement or the Separation and Distribution Agreement to the contrary (and in each case regardless of whether a Post-Distribution Ruling, Unqualified Tax Opinion or waiver described in clause (C) of Section 6.02(c) may have been provided), subject to Section 6.05(c), SpinCo shall be responsible for, and shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Parent and its Affiliates from and against, any Separation Tax Losses that are attributable to or result from any one or more of the following: (A) the acquisition (other than pursuant to the Separation Transactions) of all or a portion of SpinCo's and/or its Affiliates' stock and/or assets by any means whatsoever by any Person, (B) any negotiations, understandings, agreements or arrangements by SpinCo or any of its Affiliates with respect to transactions or events (including, without limitation, stock issuances, pursuant to the exercise of stock options or otherwise, option grants, capital contributions or acquisitions, or a series of such transactions or events) that cause the Distribution to be treated as part of a plan pursuant to which one or more Persons acquire directly or indirectly a Fifty-Percent or Greater Interest in SpinCo (or any successor thereof), (C) any action or failure to act by SpinCo after the Distribution (including, without limitation, any amendment to SpinCo's certificate of incorporation (or other organizational documents), whether through a stockholder vote or otherwise) affecting the voting rights of SpinCo Capital Stock (including, without limitation, through the conversion of one class of SpinCo Capital Stock into another class of SpinCo Capital Stock), (D) any act or failure to act by SpinCo or any Affiliate of SpinCo described in Section 6.02 (regardless of whether such act or failure to act may be covered by a Post-Distribution Ruling, Unqualified Tax Opinion or waiver described in clause (C) of Section 6.02(c)) or (E) any breach by SpinCo of any of its agreements or representations set forth in Section 6.01.
(b) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement or the Separation and Distribution Agreement to the contrary, subject to Section 6.05(c), Parent shall be responsible for, and shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless SpinCo and its Affiliates from and against, any Separation Tax Losses that are attributable to, or result from any one or more of the following: (A) the acquisition of all or a portion of Parent's and/or its Affiliates' stock and/or its assets by any means whatsoever by any Person, (B) any negotiations, agreements or arrangements by Parent with respect to transactions or events (including, without limitation, stock issuances, pursuant to the exercise of stock options or otherwise, option grants, capital contributions or acquisitions, or a series of such transactions or events) that cause any of the Distribution to be treated as part of a plan pursuant to which one or more Persons acquire directly or indirectly stock of Parent (or any successor thereof) representing a Fifty-Percent or Greater Interest therein, or (C) any act or failure to act by Parent or a member of the Parent
Group described in Section 6.03 or any breach by Parent of any of its agreements or representations set forth in Section 6.01(a).
(c) To the extent that any Separation Tax Loss reasonably could be subject to indemnity under both Sections 6.05(a) and (b), responsibility for such Separation Tax Loss shall be shared by Parent and SpinCo according to relative fault as determined by Parent in good faith.
Section 6.06 Payment of Separation Taxes.
(a) Calculation of Separation Taxes Owed. Parent shall calculate in good faith the amount of any Separation Tax Losses for which SpinCo is responsible under Section 6.05. Such calculation shall be binding on SpinCo absent manifest error.
(b) Notification of Separation Taxes Owed. At least fifteen (15) Business Days prior to the date of payment of any Separation Tax Losses, Parent shall notify SpinCo of the amount of any Separation Tax Losses for which SpinCo is responsible under Section 6.05. In connection with such notification, Parent shall make available to SpinCo the portion of any Tax Return or other documentation and related workpapers that are relevant to the determination of the Separation Tax Losses attributable to SpinCo pursuant to Section 6.05.
(c) Payment of Separation Taxes Owed.
(i) At least ten (10) Business Days prior to the due date of payment of any Separation Tax Losses with respect to which SpinCo has received notification pursuant to Section 6.06(b), SpinCo shall pay to Parent the amount attributable to the SpinCo Group as calculated by Parent pursuant to Section 6.06(a). If Parent determines that it does not have a reasonable basis to file a Tax Return in a manner consistent with the Tax Opinions/Rulings, SpinCo shall pay the amount of Separation Tax Losses for which it is responsible, as determined by Parent pursuant to Section 6.06(a) and reported to SpinCo pursuant to Section 6.06(b), at least ten (10) Business Days before such Tax Return is due (taking into account extensions).
(ii) With respect to all other Separation Tax Losses, SpinCo shall pay to Parent the amount attributable to the SpinCo Group as calculated by Parent pursuant to Section 6.06(a) within five (5) Business Days of the receipt by SpinCo of notification of the amount due.
(d) Section 336(e) Election. In the event that Parent determines (in its sole discretion) that a protective election under Section 336(e) of the Code (a "Section 336(e) Election") shall be made with respect to the Distribution, SpinCo shall (and shall cause its relevant Affiliates to) join with Parent (or its relevant Affiliate) in the making of that election and shall take any action reasonably requested by Parent or that is otherwise necessary to effect such election.
Section 7.01 Assistance and Cooperation.
(a) The Companies shall cooperate (and cause their respective Affiliates to cooperate) with each other and with each other's representatives, including accounting firms and legal counsel, in connection with Tax matters relating to the Companies, including (i) preparing and filing Tax Returns, (ii) determining the liability for and amount of any Taxes due (including estimated Taxes) or the right to and amount of any Refund or any Tax Benefit, in each case, pursuant to this Agreement or otherwise, (iii) examinations of Tax Returns, and (iv) any administrative or judicial proceeding in respect of Taxes assessed or proposed to be assessed. Such cooperation shall include making available, upon reasonable notice, all information and documents in their possession relating to the other Company and its Affiliates as provided in Article VIII. Each of the Companies shall also make available to the other, as reasonably requested and available, personnel (including employees and representatives of the Companies or their respective Affiliates) responsible for preparing, maintaining and interpreting information and documents relevant to Taxes, and personnel reasonably required as witnesses or for purposes of providing information or documents in connection with any administrative or judicial proceeding relating to Taxes.
(b) Any information or documents provided under this Article VII or Article VIII shall be kept confidential by the Company receiving the information or documents, except as may otherwise be necessary in connection with the filing of Tax Returns or in connection with any administrative or judicial proceedings relating to Taxes. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Agreement to the contrary, (i) neither Parent nor any of its Affiliates shall be required to provide SpinCo or any of its Affiliates or any other Person access to or copies of any information, documents or procedures (including the proceedings of any Tax Contest) other than information, documents or procedures that relate to SpinCo or any other member of the SpinCo Group, the business or assets of SpinCo or any other member of the SpinCo Group and (ii) in no event shall either of the Companies or any of its respective Affiliates be required to provide the other Company or any of its respective Affiliates or any other Person access to or copies of any information if such action could reasonably be expected to result in the waiver of any privilege. In addition, in the event that either Company determines that the provision of any information to the other Company or its Affiliates could be commercially detrimental, violate any Law or agreement or waive any privilege, the parties shall use reasonable best efforts to permit compliance with its obligations under this Article VII or Article VIII in a manner that avoids any such harm or consequence.
Section 7.02 Tax Return Information. Each Company shall provide to the other Company information and documents relating to its Group required by the other Company to prepare Tax Returns. Any information or documents the Responsible Company requires to prepare such Tax Returns shall be provided in such form as the Responsible Company reasonably requests and in sufficient time for the Responsible Company to file such Tax Returns on a timely basis (but in no event later than sixty (60) days after such request).
Section 7.03 Reliance by Parent. If any member of the SpinCo Group supplies information to a member of the Parent Group in connection with Taxes and an officer of a member of the Parent Group signs a statement or other document under penalties of perjury in reliance upon the accuracy of such information, then upon the written request of such member of the Parent Group identifying the information being so relied upon, the chief financial officer of SpinCo (or any officer of SpinCo as designated by the chief financial officer of SpinCo) shall certify in writing that to his or her knowledge (based upon consultation with appropriate employees) the information so supplied is accurate and complete. SpinCo agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each member of the Parent Group and its directors, officers and employees from and against any fine, penalty or other cost or expense of any kind attributable to a member of the SpinCo Group having supplied, pursuant to this Article VII, a member of the Parent Group with inaccurate or incomplete information in connection with a Tax Liability.
Section 7.04 Reliance by SpinCo. If any member of the Parent Group supplies information to a member of the SpinCo Group in connection with a Tax Liability and an officer of a member of the SpinCo Group signs a statement or other document under penalties of perjury in reliance upon the accuracy of such information, then upon the written request of such member of the SpinCo Group identifying the information being so relied upon, the chief financial officer of Parent (or any officer of Parent as designated by the chief financial officer of Parent) shall certify in writing that to his or her knowledge (based upon consultation with appropriate employees) the information so supplied is accurate and complete. Parent agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each member of the SpinCo Group and its directors, officers and employees from and against any fine, penalty, or other cost or expense of any kind attributable to a member of the Parent Group having supplied, pursuant to this Article VII, a member of the SpinCo Group with inaccurate or incomplete information in connection with a Tax Liability.
Section 8.01 Retention of Tax Records. Each Company shall preserve and keep all Tax Records (including emails and other digitally stored materials and related workpapers and other documentation) in its possession as of the Distribution Date or relating to Taxes of the Groups for Pre-Distribution Tax Periods or Taxes or Tax matters that are the subject of this Agreement, in each case, for so long as the contents thereof may become material in the administration of any matter under the Code or other applicable Law, but in any event until the later of (i) 90 days after the expiration of any applicable statutes of limitations (taking into account any extensions), or (ii) seven years after the Distribution Date (such later date, the "Retention Date"). After the Retention Date, each Company may dispose of such Tax Records upon 90 days' prior written notice to the other Company. If, prior to the Retention Date, a Company reasonably determines that any Tax Records which it would otherwise be required to preserve and keep under this Article VIII are no longer material in the administration of any matter under the Code or other applicable Law and the other Company agrees, then such first Company may dispose of such Tax Records upon 90 days' prior notice to the other Company. Any notice of an intent to dispose given pursuant to this Section 8.01 shall include a list of the Tax Records to be disposed of describing in reasonable detail each file, book or other
record accumulation being disposed. The notified Company shall have the opportunity, at its cost, to copy or remove, within such 90-day period, all or any part of such Tax Records, and the other Company will then dispose of the same Tax Records.
Section 8.02 Access to Tax Records. The Companies and their respective Affiliates shall make available to each other for inspection and copying during normal business hours upon reasonable notice all Tax Records to the extent reasonably required by the other Company in connection with the preparation of financial accounting statements, audits, litigation, the preparation of Tax Returns or the resolution of items under this Agreement.
Section 8.03 Preservation of Privilege. The parties hereto agree to (and to cause the applicable members of their respective Groups to) cooperate and use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain privilege with respect to any documentation relating to Taxes existing prior to the Distribution Date or Separation Tax Losses to which privilege may reasonably be asserted (any such documentation, "Privileged Documentation"), including by executing joint defense and/or common interest agreements where necessary or useful for this purpose. No member of the SpinCo Group shall provide access to or copies of, or otherwise disclose to any Person, any Privileged Documentation without the prior written consent of Parent, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed. No member of the Parent Group shall provide access to or copies of or otherwise disclose to any Person any Privileged Documentation without the prior written consent of SpinCo, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed. Notwithstanding any of the foregoing, in the event that (x) any Governmental Authority requests, outside of normal working hours, that either Company (or any of its Affiliates) provide to such Governmental Authority access to or copies of or otherwise disclose any Privileged Documentation, (y) immediate compliance with such request is required under applicable Law, and (z) such Company attempts in good faith to obtain the prior written consent of the other Company but is not able to do so, then such Company shall be permitted to comply with such request by such Governmental Authority without obtaining the prior written consent of the other Company and shall as promptly as practicable inform the other Company of such request and the access and/or disclosure provided pursuant thereto.
TAX CONTESTS
Section 9.01 Notice. Each of the Companies shall provide prompt notice to the other Company of any written communication from a Tax Authority regarding any pending or threatened audit, assessment or proceeding or other Tax Contest relating to Taxes, Refunds or other Tax Benefits for which it may be entitled to indemnification by the other Company hereunder or for which it may be required to indemnify the other Company hereunder. Such notice shall include copies of the pertinent portion of any written communication from a Tax Authority and contain factual information (to the extent known) describing any asserted Tax liability and/or other relevant Tax matters in reasonable detail. The failure of one Company to notify the other of such communication in accordance with the immediately preceding sentences shall not relieve such other Company of any liability or obligation to pay such Tax or make indemnification payments under this Agreement, except to the extent that the failure timely to
provide such notification actually prejudices the ability of such other Company to contest such Tax liability (or contest any determination in respect of any Refund or Tax Benefit) or increases the amount of such Tax liability (or reduces the amount of such Refund or Tax Benefit).
Section 9.02 Control of Tax Contests.
(a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraphs (b) and (c), Parent shall control, and have sole discretion in handling, settling or contesting, any Tax Contest relating to any Joint Returns, as well as any Separate Returns that relate to a Pre-Distribution Tax Period or to a Straddle Period or other Tax Return if any such Tax Return is related to Taxes for which Parent is responsible pursuant to Article II, or the Tax treatment of the Separation Transactions, provided that (x) Parent shall act in good faith in connection with its control of any such Tax Contests and (y) SpinCo shall have the right at its sole cost and expense to participate in and advise on (including the opportunity to review and comment upon Parent's communications with the Tax Authority, which comments shall be incorporated upon the consent of Parent, not to be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned) such items for which SpinCo would reasonably be expected to be liable under Article II or Section 6.06 as a result of such Tax Contest.
(b) Parent shall have exclusive control over any Separation Related Tax Contest, including exclusive authority with respect to any settlement of such Tax Contest, subject to the following provisions of this Section 9.02(b). In the event of any Separation Related Tax Contest as a result of which SpinCo could reasonably be expected (as determined in the sole discretion of Parent acting in good faith) to become liable for any Separation Tax Losses, (A) Parent shall keep SpinCo reasonably informed in a timely manner of all significant developments in respect of such Tax Contest and all significant actions taken or proposed to be taken by Parent with respect to such Tax Contest, (B) Parent shall timely provide SpinCo with copies of any written materials prepared, furnished or received in connection with such Tax Contest, (C) Parent shall consult with SpinCo reasonably in advance of taking any significant action in connection with such Tax Contest and (D) Parent shall offer SpinCo a reasonable opportunity to comment before submitting any written materials prepared or furnished in connection with such Tax Contest. Notwithstanding anything in the preceding sentence to the contrary, the final determination of the positions taken, including with respect to settlement or other disposition, in any Separation Related Tax Contest shall be made in the sole discretion of Parent and shall be final and not subject to the dispute resolution provisions of Article XIII of this Agreement or Section 11.02 of the Separation and Distribution Agreement.
(c) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (a) or (b), SpinCo shall have sole control over any Tax Contest that relates to Separate Returns of the SpinCo Group for any Post-Distribution Tax Period.
EFFECTIVE DATE; TERMINATION OF
PRIOR INTERCOMPANY TAX ALLOCATION AGREEMENTS
Section 10.01 This Agreement shall be effective as of the Effective Time. To the knowledge of the parties hereto, there are no prior intercompany Tax allocation agreements or arrangements solely between or among Parent and/or any of its Subsidiaries, on the one hand, and SpinCo and/or any of its Subsidiaries, on the other hand and no termination of any such arrangement or agreement, or any settlement of amounts owing in respect of any such arrangement or agreement should be required. To the extent that, contrary to the expectation of the parties, there is any such intercompany arrangement or agreement in place as of immediately prior to the Effective Time, (i) such arrangement or agreement shall be deemed terminated as of the Effective Time, and (ii) amounts due under such agreements as of the date on which the Effective Time occurs shall be settled as promptly as practicable. Upon such settlement, no further payments by or to Parent or any of its Subsidiaries or by or to SpinCo or any of its Subsidiaries with respect to such agreements shall be made, and all other rights and obligations resulting from such agreements between the Companies and their Affiliates shall cease at such time. Any payments pursuant to such agreements shall be disregarded for purposes of computing amounts due under this Agreement.
SURVIVAL OF OBLIGATIONS
Section 11.01 The representations, warranties, covenants and agreements set forth in this Agreement shall be unconditional and absolute and shall remain in effect without limitation as to time.
TREATMENT OF PAYMENTS; TAX GROSS-UP
Section 12.01 Treatment of Tax Indemnity and Tax Benefit Payment. In the absence of any change in Tax treatment under the Code or other applicable Law and except as otherwise agreed between the Companies or as otherwise required by applicable Law, for all Tax purposes, the Companies agree to treat, and to cause their respective Affiliates to treat, any payment required by this Agreement or by the Separation and Distribution Agreement as a contribution by Parent to SpinCo or a distribution by SpinCo to Parent, as the case may be, occurring immediately prior to the Distribution (but only to the extent the payment does not relate to a Tax allocated to the payor in accordance with Section 1552 of the Code or the Treasury Regulations thereunder or Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-33(d) (or under corresponding principles of other applicable Laws)) and any payment of interest or deductible Taxes, such as state Income Taxes, by or to a Tax Authority, as taxable or deductible, as the case may be, to the Company entitled under this Agreement to retain such payment or required under this Agreement to make such payment.
Section 12.02 Tax Gross-Up. If a Company incurs a Tax Liability as a result of its receipt of a payment pursuant to this Agreement, the Separation and Distribution Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement, such payment shall be appropriately adjusted so that the amount of such payment, reduced by the amount of all Income Taxes payable with respect to the receipt thereof (but taking into account all correlative Tax Benefits resulting from the payment of such Income Taxes), shall equal the amount of the payment which the Company receiving such payment would otherwise be entitled to receive.
ARTICLE XIII
DISAGREEMENTS
Section 13.01 Dispute Resolution. The Companies desire that collaboration will continue between them. Accordingly, they will try, and they will cause their respective Group members to try, to resolve in good faith all disagreements regarding their respective rights and obligations under this Agreement, including any amendments hereto. In furtherance thereof, in the event of any dispute or disagreement (a "Tax Advisor Dispute") between any member of the Parent Group and any member of the SpinCo Group as to the interpretation of any provision of this Agreement or the performance of obligations hereunder, the Companies shall negotiate in good faith to resolve the Tax Advisor Dispute. If, within thirty (30) Business Days such good faith negotiations do not resolve the Tax Advisor Dispute, then the matter will be referred to such Tax Advisor as the Companies mutually agree. The Tax Advisor may, in its discretion, obtain the services of any third-party appraiser, accounting firm or consultant that the Tax Advisor deems necessary to assist it in resolving such disagreement. The Tax Advisor shall resolve the Tax Advisor Dispute according to such procedures as the Tax Advisor deems advisable and shall furnish written notice to the Companies of its resolution of any such Tax Advisor Dispute as soon as practicable, but in any event no later than 45 days after its acceptance of the matter for resolution. Any such resolution by the Tax Advisor shall be consistent with the terms of this Agreement, and if so consistent, shall be conclusive and binding on the Companies. Following receipt of the Tax Advisor's written notice to the Companies of its resolution of the Tax Advisor Dispute, the Companies shall each take or cause to be taken any action necessary to implement such resolution of the Tax Advisor. In accordance with Article XIV, each Company shall pay its own fees and expenses (including the fees and expenses of its representatives) incurred in connection with the referral of the matter to the Tax Advisor. All fees and expenses of the Tax Advisor in connection with such referral shall be shared equally by the Companies.
Section 13.02 Injunctive Relief. Nothing in this Article XIII will prevent Parent from seeking injunctive relief to enforce the procedures provided for in Section 13.01 if any delay resulting from the efforts to resolve the Tax Advisor Dispute through the Tax Advisor could result in serious and irreparable injury to Parent. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Separation and Distribution Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement, Parent and SpinCo are the only members of their respective Groups entitled to commence a dispute resolution procedure under this Agreement, and each of Parent and SpinCo will cause its respective Group members not to commence any dispute resolution procedure other than through such Company as provided in this Article XIII.
ARTICLE XIV
Section 14.01 Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, each Company and its Affiliates shall bear their own expenses incurred in connection with the preparation of Tax Returns, Tax Contests, and other matters related to Taxes under the provisions of this Agreement.
ARTICLE XV
(a) This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, all of which counterparts shall be considered one and the same agreement, and shall become effective when one or more counterparts have been signed by each Company and delivered to the other Company. This Agreement may be executed by facsimile or PDF signature and scanned and exchanged by electronic mail, and such facsimile or PDF signature or scanned and exchanged copies shall constitute an original for all purposes.
(b) This Agreement, the Separation and Distribution Agreement, the Ancillary Agreements and the Appendices, Exhibits and Schedules hereto and thereto contain the entire agreement between the Companies with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede all previous agreements, negotiations, discussions, writings, understandings, commitments and conversations with respect to such subject matter, and there are no agreements or understandings between the Companies with respect to the subject matter hereof other than those set forth or referred to herein or therein. In the event of conflict or inconsistency between the provisions of this Agreement, the Separation and Distribution Agreement, or any Ancillary Agreement, on the one hand, and the provisions of any Local Transfer Agreement, on the other hand, the provisions of this Agreement, the Separation and Distribution Agreement and any such Ancillary Agreement shall prevail and remain in full force and effect; without limiting the foregoing, no Assets or Liabilities, other than SpinCo Assets and SpinCo Liabilities (in each case, as defined in the Separation and Distribution Agreement), shall be transferred by Seller (as defined in the Local
Transfer Agreements) or accepted by Buyer (as defined in the Local Transfer Agreements) under the Local Transfer Agreements notwithstanding anything to the contrary therein (including the definition of SpinCo Assets and SpinCo Liabilities (in each case, as defined in the Local Transfer Agreements)). Each Company shall, and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to, implement the provisions of and the transactions contemplated by the Local Transfer Agreement in accordance with the immediately preceding sentence.
(c) Parent represents on behalf of itself and each other member of the Parent Group, and SpinCo represents on behalf of itself and each other member of the SpinCo Group, as follows:
(i) each such Person has the requisite corporate or other power and authority and has taken all corporate or other action necessary in order to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby; and
(ii) this Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by it and constitutes a valid and binding agreement of it enforceable in accordance with the terms thereof.
Section 15.02 Governing Law; Jurisdiction. Any disputes relating to, arising out of or resulting from this Agreement, including to its execution, performance, or enforcement, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the Laws of the State of Delaware, regardless of the Laws that might otherwise govern under applicable principles of conflicts of Laws thereof. Each Company irrevocably consents to the exclusive jurisdiction, forum and venue of the Delaware Court of Chancery (and if the Delaware Court of Chancery shall be unavailable, any Delaware State court or the federal court sitting in the State of Delaware) over any and all claims, disputes, controversies or disagreements between the Companies or any of their respective Affiliates, successors and assigns under or related to this Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby, including their execution, performance or enforcement, whether in contract, tort or otherwise. Each of the Companies hereby agrees that it shall not assert, and shall hereby waive, any claim or right or defense that it is not subject to the jurisdiction of such courts, that the venue is improper, that the forum is inconvenient or any similar objection, claim or argument. Each Company agrees that a final judgment in any legal proceeding resolved in accordance with Section 13.02, this Section 15.02, Section 15.03 and Section 15.04 shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by applicable Law.
Section 15.03 Waiver of Jury Trial. EACH COMPANY HEREBY WAIVES ITS RIGHTS TO A JURY TRIAL OF ANY CLAIM OR CAUSE OF ACTION RELATING TO, ARISING OUT OF OR RESULTING FROM THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY INCLUDING THEIR EXECUTION, PERFORMANCE OR ENFORCEMENT, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE. THE SCOPE OF THIS WAIVER IS INTENDED TO BE ALL-ENCOMPASSING OF ANY AND ALL DISPUTES THAT MAY BE FILED IN ANY COURT AND THAT RELATE TO THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS TRANSACTION, INCLUDING CONTRACT CLAIMS, TORT CLAIMS (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), BREACH OF DUTY CLAIMS AND ALL OTHER COMMON
LAW AND STATUTORY CLAIMS. THIS SECTION HAS BEEN FULLY DISCUSSED BY EACH OF THE COMPANIES AND THESE PROVISIONS WILL NOT BE SUBJECT TO ANY EXCEPTIONS.
Section 15.04 Specific Performance. Subject to Section 13.01 and Section 13.02, in the event of any actual or threatened default in, or breach of, any of the terms, conditions and provisions of this Agreement by SpinCo, Parent shall have the right to specific performance and injunctive or other equitable relief of its rights under this Agreement, in addition to any and all other rights and remedies at Law or in equity, and all such rights and remedies shall be cumulative. SpinCo shall not oppose the granting of such relief on the basis that money damages are an adequate remedy. SpinCo agrees that the remedies at Law for any breach or threatened breach hereof, including monetary damages, are inadequate compensation for any loss, and waives any defense in any action by Parent for specific performance that a remedy at Law would be adequate. SpinCo also waives any requirements that Parent secure or post any bond or similar security with respect to such remedy.
Section 15.05 Assignability. Neither this Agreement nor any of the rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement shall be assigned, in whole or in part, by operation of Law or otherwise by either Company without the prior written consent of the other Company. Any purported assignment without such consent shall be void. Subject to the preceding sentences, this Agreement will be binding upon, inure to the benefit of, and be enforceable by, the Companies and their respective successors and assigns (including, but not limited to, any successor of Parent or SpinCo succeeding to the Tax Attributes of either under Section 381 of the Code). Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any Company (or any of its successors or permitted assigns) (a) shall enter into a consolidation or merger transaction in which such Company is not the surviving entity and the surviving entity acquires or assumes all or substantially all of such Company's Assets, or (b) shall transfer all or substantially all of such Company's Assets to any Person, then, in each such case, the assigning Company (or its successors or permitted assigns, as applicable) shall ensure that the assignee or successor-in-interest expressly assumes in writing all of the obligations of the assigning Company under this Agreement, and the assigning Company shall not be required to seek consent, but shall provide written notice and evidence of such assignment, assumption or succession to the non-assigning Company. No assignment permitted by this Section 15.05 shall release the assigning Company from liability for the full performance of its obligations under this Agreement.
Section 15.06 Third-Party Beneficiaries. Except for the indemnification rights under this Agreement of any indemnified party in its capacity as such, (a) the provisions of this Agreement are solely for the benefit of the Companies and are not intended to confer upon any Person except the Companies any rights or remedies hereunder and (b) there are no third-party beneficiaries of this Agreement and this Agreement shall not provide any third person with any remedy, claim, liability, reimbursement, cause of action or other right in excess of those existing without reference to this Agreement.
Section 15.07 Notices. All notices or other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to be duly given when (a) delivered in person, (b) on the date received, if sent by a nationally recognized delivery or courier service, (c) upon
written confirmation of receipt after transmittal by electronic mail or (d) upon the earlier of confirmed receipt or the fifth (5th) Business Day following the date of mailing if sent by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid and addressed as follows:
If to Parent, to:
Attn:
Wendy Cassity, EVP and Chief Legal Officer
Steven Okpych, Vice President, Corporate Tax
Jeffrey B. Samuels
Scott A. Barshay
jsamuels@paulweiss.com
sbarshay@paulweiss.com
Leanne Fitzgerald, General Counsel
James Haggerty, Senior Tax Director
Either Company may, by notice to the other Company, change the address and identity of the Person to which such notices and copies of such notices are to be given. Each Company agrees that nothing in this Agreement shall affect the other Company's right to serve process in any other manner permitted by Law (including pursuant to the rules for foreign service of process authorized by the Hague Convention).
Section 15.08 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement or the application thereof to any Person or circumstance is determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remaining provisions hereof, or the application of such provision to Persons or circumstances, or in jurisdictions other than those as to which it has been held invalid or unenforceable, shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated thereby, so long as the economic or legal substance of the transactions contemplated hereby is not affected in any manner materially adverse to either Company. Upon any such determination, any such provision, to the extent determined to be invalid, void or unenforceable, shall be deemed replaced by a provision that such court determines is valid and enforceable and that comes closest to expressing the intention of the invalid, void or unenforceable provision.
Section 15.10 Waivers of Default. No failure or delay of any Company (or the applicable member of its Group) in exercising any right or remedy under this Agreement, any other Ancillary Agreement or the Separation and Distribution Agreement shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or power, or any abandonment or discontinuance of steps to enforce such right or power, or any course of conduct, preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right or power. Waiver by any Company of any default by the other Company of any provision of this Agreement shall not be deemed a waiver by the waiving Company of any subsequent or other default.
Section 15.11 Amendments. No provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed waived, amended, supplemented or modified by a Company, unless such waiver, amendment,
supplement or modification is (a) in writing and signed by the authorized representative of each Company or (b) necessary (as determined in the sole discretion of Parent acting in good faith) to preserve the Tax-Free Status of the Contribution and the Distribution, taken together.
Section 15.12 Further Action. The parties hereto shall execute and deliver all documents, provide all information, and take or refrain from taking any action as may be necessary or appropriate to achieve the purposes of this Agreement, including the execution and delivery to the other parties and their Affiliates and representatives of such powers of attorney or other authorizing documentation as is reasonably necessary or appropriate in connection with Tax Contests (or portions thereof) under the control of such other parties in accordance with Article IX.
Section 15.13 Interpretation. Words in the singular shall be held to include the plural and vice versa and words of one gender shall be held to include the other gender as the context requires. The terms "hereof," "herein," "herewith" and words of similar import, unless otherwise stated, shall be construed to refer to this Agreement as a whole (including all of the schedules hereto) and not to any particular provision of this Agreement. Article, Section or Schedule references are to the articles, sections and schedules of or to this Agreement unless otherwise specified. Any definition of or reference to any agreement, instrument or other document herein (including any reference herein to this Agreement) shall, unless otherwise stated, be construed as referring to such agreement, instrument or other document as from time to time amended, supplemented or otherwise modified (subject to any restrictions on such amendments, supplements or modifications set forth therein, including in Section 15.11 above). The word "including" and words of similar import when used in this Agreement shall mean "including, without limitation," unless the context otherwise requires or unless otherwise specified. The word "or" shall not be exclusive. The word "extent" in the phrase "to the extent" shall mean the degree to which a subject or other thing extends, and such phrase shall not mean simply "if." All references to "$" or dollar amounts are to the lawful currency of the United States of America. Any reference to any federal, state, local or non-U.S. statute or Law shall be deemed to also refer to all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, in each case as amended from time to time, unless the context otherwise requires. References to a Person also refer to its predecessors and permitted successors and assigns. In the event that an ambiguity or question of intent or interpretation arises, this Agreement shall be construed as if drafted jointly by the Companies, and no presumption or burden of proof shall arise favoring or disfavoring either Company by virtue of the authorship of any provisions hereof.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Companies have caused this Tax Matters Agreement to be executed by their duly authorized representatives.
[Signature Page – Tax Matters Agreement]
CERENCE OPERATING COMPANY
ARTICLE I Definitions 1
Definitions 1
ARTICLE II Services 5
Provision of Services 5
Service Amendments and Additions 8
Migration Projects 9
No Management Authority 9
Acknowledgement and Representation 9
ARTICLE III Real Estate 10
Occupancy Rights 10
Use 10
License Fee 10
License Term 10
Access and Common Areas 10
Compliance with Service Provider's Policies 11
Surrender 11
License Rights 12
Relocation 12
Alterations 12
Controlling Provisions 12
ARTICLE IV Additional Arrangements 12
Cooperation and Access 12
Intellectual Property 14
Customer Receipt Payments and Bank Account Transition Process 15
IT Agreements 16
Certain Supplier Agreements 16
ARTICLE V Compensation 16
Compensation for Services 16
Payment Terms 17
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES 18
Books and Records 19
ARTICLE VI Term
Commencement 19
Service Extension 19
Termination 20
Partial Termination 21
Effect of Termination 21
ARTICLE VII Indemnification; Limitation of Liability
Indemnification by Cerence Subsidiary 23
Indemnification by Nuance 23
Indemnification Procedures 23
Exclusion of Other Remedies 24
Other Indemnification Obligations Unaffected 24
Limitation on Liability 24
ARTICLE VIII Other Covenants
Attorney-in-Fact 25
Further Assurances 25
ARTICLE IX Dispute Resolution
Resolution Committee 25
Senior Executive Referral 26
Court-Ordered Interim Relief 26
ARTICLE X Miscellaneous
Title to Equipment; Title to Data 26
Force Majeure 27
Separation Agreement 27
Relationship of Parties 27
Confidentiality 27
Counterparts; Entire Agreement 28
Governing Law; Jurisdiction 28
WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL 28
Specific Performance 29
Assignability 29
Third-Party Beneficiaries 29
Notices 29
Severability 29
Headings 30
Waivers of Default 30
Amendments 30
Interpretation 30
Schedule A Services to be Provided to SpinCo Group
Schedule B Services to be Provided to Nuance Group
Schedule C Designated Work Product
Schedule D Related Services
Schedule E Service Coordinators
Schedule F Shared Real Property
Schedule G IT Agreements
Schedule H Certain Supplier Agreements
TRANSITION SERVICES AGREEMENT (this "Agreement"), dated as of September 30, 2019, by and between Nuance Communications, Inc., a Delaware corporation ("Nuance"), and Cerence Operating Company, a Delaware corporation ("Cerence Subsidiary").
WHEREAS, in connection with the contemplated Spin-Off of Cerence Inc., a Delaware corporation ("SpinCo"), and concurrently with the execution of this Agreement, Nuance and SpinCo are entering into a Separation and Distribution Agreement (the "Separation Agreement");
WHEREAS, Cerence Subsidiary is a wholly owned subsidiary of SpinCo;
WHEREAS, each of Nuance and Cerence Subsidiary may provide to the other certain services, as more particularly described in this Agreement, for a limited period of time following the Spin-Off; and
WHEREAS, each of Nuance and Cerence Subsidiary desires to reflect the terms of their agreement with respect to such services.
NOW, THEREFORE, for good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are acknowledged by this Agreement, Nuance and Cerence Subsidiary, for themselves, their successors and assigns, agree as follows:
Section 1.01 Definitions. As used in this Agreement, the following terms have the following meanings:
"Affiliate" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Separation Agreement.
"Agreement" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the preamble.
"Ancillary Agreements" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Separation Agreement.
"Applicable End Date" means, with respect to each Service, the date that is the Applicable Original Duration with respect to such Service following the Applicable Termination Date with respect to such Service.
"Applicable Original Duration" means, with respect to each Service, the duration of the period from the Distribution Date to the Applicable Termination Date with respect to such Service.
"Applicable Termination Date" means, with respect to each Service, the date that is twelve (12) months following the Distribution Date, or such other termination date
specified with respect to such Service, as applicable, in Schedule A or Schedule B, as applicable.
"Assets" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Separation Agreement.
"Certain Supplier Agreements" means any contract or agreement of any member of the Nuance Group with a third party that supplies services to the SpinCo Group set forth on Schedule H.
"Consents" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Separation Agreement.
"Cost of Services" means, with respect to each Service, the amount specified with respect to such Service in Schedule A or Schedule B, as applicable, to be paid by a Service Recipient in respect of such Service to the Service Provider of such Service.
"Customer Receipt Payee" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.03(a).
"Customer Receipt Payment" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.03(a).
"Customer Receipt Payment Period" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.03(a).
"Designated Work Product" means the work product developed during the term for Service Recipient's exclusive use as part of the provision of Services hereunder and that are listed or described on Schedule C.
"Dispute" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 9.01.
"Dispute Notice" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 9.02.
"Distribution" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Separation Agreement.
"Distribution Date" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Separation Agreement.
"Force Majeure Event" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 10.02.
"Governmental Authority" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Separation Agreement.
"Group" means either the Nuance Group or the SpinCo Group, as the context requires.
"Hourly Services" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 5.01(b).
"Hourly Services Expenses" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 5.01(b).
"Indemnitee" means a Nuance Indemnitee or a SpinCo Indemnitee, as the context requires.
"Information" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Separation Agreement.
"Insurance Proceeds" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Separation Agreement.
"Intended Payee" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.03(a).
"Interruption" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 2.01(j).
"IT Agreements" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.04.
"Law" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Separation Agreement.
"Liabilities" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Separation Agreement.
"Misdirected Customer Payment" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.03(a).
"Monthly License Fee" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 3.03.
"Nuance" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the preamble.
"Nuance Business" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Separation Agreement.
"Nuance Group" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Separation Agreement.
"Nuance Indemnitees" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Separation Agreement.
"Omitted Services" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 2.02(a).
"Other Areas" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 3.05.
"Person" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Separation Agreement.
"Personal Data" has the meaning ascribed thereto by the EU General Data Protection Regulation, (EU) 2016/679 ("GDPR").
"Process" has the meaning ascribed thereto by the GDPR.
"Project Work" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 2.03.
"Project Work Request" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 2.03.
"Related Service" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 6.02.
"Resolution Committee" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 9.02.
"Separation Agreement" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the recitals.
"Service Charge" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 5.01(a).
"Service Coordinator" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 2.01(c).
"Service Extension" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 6.02.
"Service Provider" means any member of the SpinCo Group or the Nuance Group, as applicable, in its capacity as the provider of any Services to any member of the Nuance Group or the SpinCo Group, respectively.
"Service Recipient" means any member of the SpinCo Group or the Nuance Group, as applicable, in its capacity as the recipient of any Services from any member of the Nuance Group or the SpinCo Group, respectively.
"Services" means the individual services identified in Schedule A or Schedule B, as applicable.
"Shared Real Property" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 3.01.
"Shutdown" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 2.01(i).
"Spin-Off" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Separation Agreement.
"SpinCo" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the preamble.
"SpinCo Business" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Separation Agreement.
"SpinCo Group" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Separation Agreement.
"SpinCo Indemnitees" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Separation Agreement.
"Sub-Contractor" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 2.01(e).
"Subsidiary" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Separation Agreement.
"Taxes" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 5.01(d).
"Termination Charges" has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 6.05(d).
"Third-Party Claim" has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Separation Agreement.
Section 2.01 Provision of Services.
(a) Commencing immediately after the Distribution, Nuance shall, and shall cause the applicable members of the Nuance Group to, (i) provide, or otherwise make available, to Cerence Subsidiary and the applicable members of the SpinCo Group the Services set forth in Schedule A and (ii) pay, perform, discharge and satisfy, as and when due, its and their respective obligations as Service Recipients under this Agreement, in each case in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
(b) Commencing immediately after the Distribution, Cerence Subsidiary shall, and shall cause the applicable members of the SpinCo Group to, (i) provide, or otherwise make available, to Nuance and the applicable members of the Nuance Group the Services set forth in Schedule B and (ii) pay, perform, discharge and satisfy, as and when due, its and their respective obligations as Service Recipients under this Agreement, in each case in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
(c) Each Service Recipient and its respective Service Provider shall cooperate in good faith with each other in connection with the performance of the Services hereunder. Each of Nuance and Cerence Subsidiary agrees to appoint an employee representative (each such representative, a "Service Coordinator") who will have overall responsibility for implementing, managing and coordinating the Services pursuant to this Agreement on behalf of Nuance and Cerence Subsidiary, respectively. Initially, the Service Coordinators will be the individuals set forth on Schedule E. Either Party may change its designated Service Coordinator at any time upon notice given to the other Party in accordance with Section 10.12. The Service Coordinators will consult and coordinate with each other on a regular basis, and no less frequently than monthly, during the term of this Agreement.
(d) The Service Provider shall determine the personnel who shall perform the Services to be provided by it. All personnel providing Services will remain at all times, and be deemed to be, employees or representatives solely of the Service Provider (or its Affiliates or Sub-Contractors) responsible for providing such Services for all purposes, and not to be deemed employees or representatives of the Service Recipient. The Service Provider (or its Affiliates or Sub-Contractors) will be solely responsible for payment of (i) all compensation, (ii) all income, disability, withholding and other employment taxes and (iii) all medical benefit premiums, vacation pay, sick pay and other employee benefits payable to or with respect to personnel who perform Services on behalf of such Service Provider. All such personnel will be under the sole direction, control and supervision of the Service Provider and the Service Provider has the sole right to exercise all authority with respect to the employment, substitution, termination, assignment and compensation of such personnel.
(e) The Service Provider may, at its option, from time to time, delegate any or all of its obligations to perform Services under this Agreement to any one or more of its Affiliates or engage the services of other professionals, consultants or other third
parties (each, a "Sub-Contractor") in connection with the performance of the Services; provided, however, that (i) the Service Provider shall remain ultimately responsible for ensuring that its obligations with respect to the nature, scope, quality and other aspects of the Services are satisfied with respect to any Services provided by any such Affiliate or Sub-Contractor and shall be liable for any failure of a Sub-Contractor to so satisfy such obligations (or if a Sub-Contractor otherwise breaches any provision hereof) and (ii) such Sub-Contractor agrees in writing to be bound by confidentiality provisions at least as restrictive to it as the terms of Section 10.05 of this Agreement. Except as agreed by the Parties in Schedule A or Schedule B or otherwise in writing, and subject to Section 2.01(g), any costs associated with engaging the services of an Affiliate of the Service Provider or a Sub-Contractor shall not affect the Cost of Services payable by the Service Recipient under this Agreement, and the Service Provider shall remain solely responsible with respect to payment for such Affiliate's or Sub-Contractor's costs, fees and expenses.
(f) Subject to the provisions of this Section 2.01, the Services shall be performed in substantially the same manner, scope, time frame, skill, care, nature and quality, with the same care, and to the same extent and service level as such Services (or substantially similar services) were provided to the SpinCo Business or the Nuance Business, as applicable, immediately prior to the Distribution Date, unless the Services are being provided by a Sub-Contractor who is also providing the same services to the Service Provider or a member of such Service Provider's Group, in which case the Services shall be performed for the Service Recipient in the same manner, scope, time frame, nature and quality, with the same care, and to the same extent and service level as they are being performed for the Service Provider or such member of such Service Provider's Group, as applicable. If the Service Provider has not provided such Services (or substantially similar services) immediately prior to the Distribution Date and such Services are not being performed by a Sub-Contractor who is also providing the same services to such Service Provider's Group, then the Services shall be performed in a competent and professional manner consistent with industry standards. The Services shall be used solely for the operation of the SpinCo Business or the Nuance Business, as applicable (including any natural evolutions thereof), for substantially the same purpose as used by the applicable Service Recipient immediately prior to the date of this Agreement.
(g) The Parties acknowledge that the Service Provider may make changes from time to time in the manner of performing Services (including in respect of those Services provided by a Sub-Contractor) if the Service Provider is making similar changes in performing the same or substantially similar Services for itself or other members of its Group; provided, however, that, unless expressly contemplated in Schedule A or Schedule B, such changes shall not affect the Cost of Services for such Service payable by the Service Recipient under this Agreement or decrease the manner, scope, time frame, nature, quality or level of the Services provided to the Service Recipient, except (i) upon prior written approval of the Service Recipient and (ii) any actual and reasonable increase to the Service Provider in the cost of providing a Service may be charged to the Service Recipient on a pass-through basis to the extent such actual and reasonable increase is applied on a non-discriminatory basis as compared to the Service Provider's Group.
(h) Nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to require the provision of any Service by any Service Provider (or any Affiliate or Sub-Contractor of a Service Provider)
to any Service Recipient if the provision of such Service requires the Consent of any Person (including any Governmental Authority), whether under applicable Law, by the terms of any contract to which such Service Provider or any other member of its Group is a party or otherwise, unless and until, subject to Section 2.01(h)(ii), such Consent has been obtained.
(i) The Service Provider shall use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain as promptly as possible any Consent of any Person that may be necessary for the performance of the Service Provider's obligations pursuant to this Agreement. Any fees, expenses or extra costs incurred in connection with obtaining any such Consents shall be paid by the Service Recipient, and the Service Recipient shall use commercially reasonable efforts to provide assistance as necessary in obtaining such Consents.
(ii) In the event that the Consent of any Person, if required in order for the Service Provider to provide Services, is not obtained reasonably promptly after the Distribution Date, the Service Provider shall notify the Service Recipient and the Parties shall cooperate in devising an alternative manner for the provision of the Services affected by such failure to obtain such Consent and the Cost of Services associated therewith, such alternative manner and Cost of Services to be reasonably satisfactory to both Parties and agreed to in writing. If the Parties elect such an alternative plan, the Service Provider shall provide the Services in such alternative manner and the Service Recipient shall pay for such Services based on the alternative Cost of Services.
(iii) The Services shall not include, and no Service Provider (or any Affiliate or Sub-Contractor of a Service Provider) shall be obligated to provide, any service the provision of which to a Service Recipient following the Distribution would constitute a violation of any Law. In addition, notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, the Service Provider (and the Affiliates and Sub-Contractors of the Service Provider) will not be required to perform or to cause to be performed any of the Services for the benefit of any third party or any other Person other than the applicable Service Recipient.
(iv) To the extent that any third-party proprietor of information or software to be disclosed or made available to any Service Recipient in connection with performance of the Services hereunder requires a specific form of non-disclosure agreement as a condition to its Consent to use the same for the benefit of the Service Recipient, or to permit the Service Recipient access to such information or software, the Service Recipient shall, as a condition to the receipt of such portion of the Services, execute (and shall cause its employees and Affiliates to execute, if required) any such form.
(i) If a Service Provider determines that it is necessary or appropriate to temporarily suspend a Service due to scheduled or emergency maintenance, modification, repairs, alterations or replacements (any such event, a "Shutdown"), Service Provider shall use commercially reasonable efforts to provide Service Recipient with reasonable prior notice of such Shutdown (including information regarding the nature and the projected length of such Shutdown), unless it is not reasonably practicable under the circumstances to provide such prior notice, and thereafter such Service Provider shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cooperate with Service Recipient to minimize any impact on the Services caused by such Shutdown.
(j) The Parties acknowledge that there may be unanticipated temporary interruptions in the provision of a Service, in each case for a period of less than forty-eight (48) hours (any such event, an "Interruption"). Service Provider shall use commercially reasonable efforts to provide Service Recipient with notice of such Interruption as soon as possible (including information regarding the nature and the projected length of such Interruption), and thereafter such Service Provider shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cooperate with Service Recipient to minimize any impact on the Services caused by such Interruption. The Service Provider shall not be excused from performance if it fails to use commercially reasonable efforts to remedy the situation causing such Interruption.
(k) In the event the obligations of Service Provider to provide any Service shall be suspended in accordance with Section 2.01(i) or Section 2.01(j), Service Provider and its Affiliates shall not have any liability whatsoever to Service Recipient arising out of or resulting from such suspension of Service Provider's provision of such Service, except to the extent resulting from a breach by Service Provider of any agreement or covenant required to be performed or complied with by Service Provider pursuant to Section 2.01(i) or Section 2.01(j) (but subject to the other limitations on liability set forth in this Agreement).
(l) Neither Party nor any of their respective Affiliates shall have any obligation to purchase, upgrade, enhance or otherwise modify any computer hardware, software or network environment currently used by such Party or such Party's Affiliates, or to provide any support or maintenance services for any computer hardware, software or network environment that has been upgraded, enhanced or otherwise modified from the computer hardware, software or network environments that are currently used by such Party or such Party's Affiliates.
Section 2.02 Service Amendments and Additions.
(a) Within the first forty-five (45) days following the Distribution Date, each of Nuance and Cerence Subsidiary may request the other Party to provide services that (i) were provided by the Nuance Business or the SpinCo Business, as applicable, within the twelve (12) months prior to the Distribution Date and (ii) are reasonably necessary for the operation of the Nuance Business or the SpinCo Business, as applicable, as conducted as of the Distribution Date ("Omitted Services"). Any request for an Omitted Service shall be in writing and shall specify, as applicable, (A) the type and the scope of the requested service, (B) who is requested to perform the requested service, (C) where and to whom the requested service is to be provided and (D) the proposed term for the requested service. The Parties shall discuss in good faith the terms under which such Omitted Services may be provided.
(b) If a Party agrees to provide Omitted Services pursuant to Section 2.02(a), then the Parties shall in good faith negotiate an amendment to Schedule A or Schedule B, as applicable, which will describe in detail the service, project scope, term, price and payment terms to be charged for such Omitted Services. Once agreed to in writing, the amendment to Schedule A or Schedule B, as applicable, shall be deemed part of this Agreement as of such date and the Omitted Services, as applicable, shall be deemed "Services" provided hereunder, in each case subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement; provided, however, that no Service Provider shall be required to provide any Omitted Services, at any price, that would prevent, or
be reasonably likely to prevent, or be inconsistent with the qualification of the Distribution as a tax-free transaction for U.S. federal, state and local income tax purposes.
Section 2.03 Migration Projects. Prior to the end of the applicable term, each Service Provider will provide the Service Recipient, upon written request (the "Project Work Request"), with such reasonable support as may be necessary to migrate the Services to the Service Recipient's internal organization or to a third party provider (the "Project Work"), including exporting and providing (subject to applicable Law) all relevant data and information of the applicable Service Recipient from the systems of the applicable Service Provider or any party performing the Services on its behalf. After the Service Provider receives the Project Work Request, the Parties shall meet to discuss and agree on the scope and cost of the Project Work, taking into consideration the Service Provider's then-available resources. Where required for migrating the Services, subject to applicable Law, Service Recipient's personnel will be granted reasonable access to the respective facilities of the Service Provider during normal business hours. Subject to applicable Law, Project Work may be out-sourced to external service partners (including those involving conversion programs or other programming, or extraordinary management supervision or coordination); provided, that the Service Provider shall be responsible for the performance or non-performance of such partners. The Service Recipient shall pay its internal costs incurred in connection with all Project Work performed by its personnel and the internal costs of the Service Provider and the cost of all third-party providers engaged in completing a Project Work all shall be charged by the Service Provider to the Service Recipient on a pass-through basis. For the avoidance of doubt, any portion of the cost of Project Work associated with the setup of the Service Recipient's data warehousing infrastructure or hosting environment shall be charged by the Service Provider to the Service Recipient on a pass-through basis.
Section 2.04 No Management Authority. No Service Provider (or any Affiliate or Sub-Contractor of a Service Provider) shall be authorized by, or shall have any responsibility under, this Agreement to manage the affairs of the business of any Service Recipient, or to hold itself out as an agent or representative of the Service Recipient.
Section 2.05 Acknowledgement and Representation. Each Party understands that the Services provided hereunder are transitional in nature. Each Party understands and agrees that the other Party is not in the business of providing Services to third parties and, except as set forth in Section 6.02, that neither Party has any interest in continuing (i) any Service beyond the Applicable Termination Date or (ii) this Agreement beyond the expiration of all Applicable Termination Dates or the termination of all Services in accordance with Section 6.04. As a result, the Parties have allocated responsibilities and risks of loss and limited liabilities of the Parties as stated in this Agreement based on the recognition that each Party is not in the business of providing Services to third parties. Such allocations and limitations are fundamental elements of the basis of the bargain between the Parties and neither Party would be able or willing to provide the Services without the protections provided by such allocations and limitations. During the term of this Agreement, each Party agrees to work diligently and expeditiously to establish its own logistics, infrastructure and systems to enable a transition to its own internal organization or other third-party providers of the Services and agrees to use its reasonable good faith efforts to reduce or eliminate its and its Affiliates' dependency on the other Party's provision of the Services as soon as is reasonably practicable.
Section 3.01 Occupancy Rights. Each Service Provider set forth on Schedule F, with respect to the location set forth on such Schedule opposite such Service Provider's name (each, a "Shared Real Property"), hereby grants to the Service Recipient set forth on such Schedule opposite such Shared Real Property, a limited license for reasonable use and access to the space utilized by such Service Recipient or any member of its Group in the conduct of the Nuance Business or the SpinCo Business, as applicable, as of the Distribution Date, for the sole purpose of transitioning the Nuance Business or the SpinCo Business, as applicable, and in accordance with the terms, covenants and conditions of this Article III. The Service Recipient's right to use and access the applicable Shared Real Property shall be consistent with the use and access afforded to the Nuance Business or the SpinCo Business, as applicable, as of the Distribution Date. The Service Recipient's use shall include the right to use the fixtures, improvements and furnishings located within the Shared Real Property consistent with such use as of the Distribution Date.
Section 3.02 Use. Each Service Recipient shall use the applicable Shared Real Property (and the furnishings contained therein) for the same purposes as such Shared Real Property is utilized as of the Distribution Date and for no other purpose. The Shared Real Property may be occupied only by the personnel of the applicable Service Recipient reasonably required in furtherance of the activities of the Nuance Business or the SpinCo Business, as applicable, or the other purposes set forth in this Agreement. The Service Recipient shall be responsible for pickup and delivery of goods at any common shipping dock at any Shared Real Property, and any shipments shall include proper labeling to distinguish the Service Recipient's goods from the Service Provider's goods.
Section 3.03 License Fee. Each Service Recipient shall pay a monthly gross license fee for its Shared Real Property as set out on Schedule F (each, a "Monthly License Fee"). The Monthly License Fee for each Shared Real Property shall be payable in advance on or before the first (1st) day of each calendar month of the term of the license. The Monthly License Fee for any period during the respective license term which is for less than one month shall be prorated.
Section 3.04 License Term. The license granted under this Article III will be effective as of immediately after the Distribution and will automatically expire at the earlier of (I) the end of the period set forth in Schedule F with respect to each Shared Real Property, or (II) the expiration date of the relevant underlying lease pertaining to each Shared Real Property (in which case the Service Provider shall provide to the Service Recipient written notice thirty (30) days prior to such expiration).
Section 3.05 Access and Common Areas. Unless otherwise specified on Schedule F, the Service Recipient (including its personnel) shall access the applicable Shared Real Property through existing employee entrances designated by the Service Provider. Access to any other areas ("Other Areas") in, on or about the applicable Shared Real Property (including conference room(s), break area(s), designated smoking area(s), restroom(s), machine shop(s),
shipping/receiving area(s) and cafeteria(s) other than to the extent located within the Shared Real Property) shall be as otherwise designated by the Service Provider in its reasonable discretion. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, the Service Recipient shall not access any other areas.
Section 3.06 Compliance with Service Provider's Policies. The Service Recipient shall comply with the Service Provider's reasonable policies and procedures, security requirements and rules and regulations with respect to the applicable Shared Real Property and the Service Recipient's occupancy of such Shared Real Property. Such policies may be changed from time to time upon reasonable prior notice at the applicable Service Provider's sole reasonable discretion.
Section 3.07 Insurance. Each Party agrees, during the term of this license, to cause its Service Recipients under this Article III to carry and maintain (i) commercial general liability insurance with a single combined liability limit of $5,000,000 per occurrence and (ii) workers' compensation/employer's liability insurance with a liability limit of $1,000,000 per occurrence, and in the case of the policies described in clauses (i) and (ii), naming the applicable Service Provider (and other parties as may be reasonably required) as an additional insured, against liability with respect to accidents occurring on, in or about the applicable Shared Real Property or arising out of the use and occupancy of such Shared Real Property by the Service Recipient and its personnel and visitors. All such insurance policies shall contain a waiver of subrogation in the applicable Service Provider's favor. The Parties acknowledge that the Service Providers shall have no responsibility to insure or actively maintain any Service Recipient's personal property, including any Service Recipient's equipment and trade fixtures, located in the Shared Real Property. Notwithstanding the aforesaid liability limits, said limits shall not diminish or otherwise impact or affect the obligations of the Parties and their Service Recipients hereunder. The policy(s) maintained by the applicable Service Recipient shall be issued by a company licensed to do business in the country where the Shared Real Property is located and the applicable Service Recipient shall deposit a certificate evidencing the same with the applicable Service Provider on or before the Distribution Date. During the term of the license granted in Section 3.01, the applicable Service Providers under this Article III shall maintain insurance policies for the Shared Real Property as in effect as of the Distribution Date.
Section 3.08 Surrender. Upon the expiration or termination of the license granted under this Article III, each Service Recipient shall, at its sole cost and expense, (i) remove their personal property, equipment, trade fixtures and other goods and effects, and repair any damage to the Shared Real Property resulting from such removal, and (ii) otherwise quit and deliver up the Shared Real Property peaceably and quietly and in as good order and condition as the same were in on the Distribution Date, reasonable wear and tear, damage by fire and the elements excepted. In the event any Service Recipient fails to repair and perform the aforementioned facilities restoration and otherwise deliver the Shared Real Property as set forth above, the Service Provider or any member of its Group shall have the right to make said reasonable repairs and reasonably perform such facilities restoration, charge such Service Recipient or any member of its Group the reasonable costs of such repairs and restoration, and such Service Recipient or any member of its Group shall reimburse the Service Provider or the member of its Group, as applicable, within thirty (30) days of receipt of invoice. Any property left in the Shared Real Property after the expiration or termination of the license granted under
this Article III shall be deemed to have been abandoned and the property of the Service Providers to dispose of as the Service Providers deem expedient and at the sole cost and expense of the Service Recipients.
Section 3.09 License Rights. The rights granted herein in favor of each Service Recipient are in the nature of a license and shall not create any leasehold or other estate or possessory rights in Shared Real Property, and if the license granted under this Article III expires or is terminated, the Service Recipient shall vacate the Shared Real Property, and any occupancy or activity of the Service Recipient thereafter in the Shared Real Property shall be considered a trespass.
Section 3.10 Relocation. Each Service Provider shall have the right, at its cost, to relocate the applicable Service Recipient to other
area(s) of each Shared Real Property by providing the Service Recipient reasonable advance notice, provided that such relocation does not reduce the rights of the Service Recipient or increase the obligations of the Service Recipient under this Agreement or unreasonably interrupt the day-to-day operations of the Nuance Business or the SpinCo Business, as applicable.
Section 3.11 Alterations. The Service Recipient shall not make any alterations, additions or improvements to the Shared Real Property.
Section 3.12 Controlling Provisions. In the event of a conflict between the terms of this Article III and any other provision in this Agreement with regard to the right to use the Shared Real Property specified in this Article III, the terms of this Article III shall control. In the event of a conflict between the terms of this Agreement and the terms set forth on Schedule F attached hereto, the terms of Schedule F shall control.
Additional Arrangements
Section 4.01 Cooperation and Access.
(a) Subject to the other terms and conditions of this Agreement, Service Recipients shall cooperate with the Service Providers to the extent necessary or appropriate to facilitate the performance of the Services in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, subject to Section 10.05, (i) each Party shall make available on a timely basis to the other Party all information and materials requested by such Party to the extent reasonably necessary for the performance or receipt of the Services, (ii) each Party shall, and shall cause the members of its Group to, upon reasonable notice, give or cause to be given to the other Party and its Affiliates and Sub-Contractors reasonable access, during regular business hours and at such other times as are reasonably required, to the relevant premises and personnel to the extent reasonably necessary for the performance or receipt of the Services and (iii) each Party shall, and shall cause the members of its Group to, give the other Party and its Affiliates and Sub-Contractors reasonable access to, and all necessary rights to utilize, such Party's, and its Group's, information, facilities, personnel,
assets, systems and technologies to the extent reasonably necessary for the performance or receipt of the Services.
(b) Each Party shall (and shall cause the members of its Group and its personnel and the personnel of its Affiliates and Sub-Contractors providing or receiving Services to): (i) not attempt to obtain access to or use any information technology systems of the other Party or any member of its Group, or any confidential Information, Personal Data or competitively sensitive information owned, used or Processed by the other Party, except where it has been granted in writing the right to do so or, to the extent reasonably necessary to do so, to provide or receive Services; (ii) maintain reasonable security measures to protect the systems of the other Party and the members of its Group to which it has access pursuant to this Agreement from access by unauthorized third parties; (iii) follow applicable Laws and all of the other Party's security rules, access agreements, and procedures for restricting access and use, when allowed, to such other Party's information technology systems; (iv) when on the property of the other Party or any of its Affiliates, or when given access to any facilities, infrastructure or personnel of the other Party or any of its Affiliates, follow applicable Laws and all of the other Party's policies and procedures concerning health, safety, conduct and security which are made known to the Party receiving such access from time to time and (v) not disable, damage or erase or disrupt, interfere with or impair the normal operation of the information technology systems of the other Party or any member of its Group.
(c) Service Provider shall (i) immediately notify Service Recipient of any confirmed misuse, disclosure or loss of, or inability to account for, any Personal Data or any confidential or competitively sensitive Information, and any confirmed unauthorized access to Service Provider's facilities, systems or network, in each case, solely to the extent related to the Service Recipient; and Service Provider will investigate such confirmed security incidents and reasonably cooperate with Service Recipient's incident response team, supplying logs and other necessary information to mitigate and limit the damages resulting from such a security incident; provided that the Service Recipient agrees to reimburse Service Provider for time spent and actual travel expenses incurred in connection with any such investigation; and (ii) subject to applicable Law, use commercially reasonable efforts to comply with any commercially reasonable requests to assist Service Recipient with its electronic discovery obligations related to Services provided to the Service Recipient; provided that the Service Recipient agrees to reimburse Service Provider for time spent and actual travel expenses incurred for such response.
(d) In the event of a security breach that relates to the Services, the Parties shall, subject to any applicable Law, reasonably cooperate with each other regarding the timing and manner of (a) notification to their respective customers, potential customers, employees or agents concerning a breach or potential breach of security and (b) disclosures to appropriate Governmental Authorities.
(e) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement (but subject to the following proviso), any Personal Data transferred or otherwise made available to the other Party in connection with the Services shall be subject to any data transfer agreement required by applicable law, and each Party agrees to abide by the applicable provisions thereof, to the extent related to such data; provided, however, that any Personal Data provided by Service Recipient to Service Provider under this Agreement shall only be used to the extent reasonably
necessary for Service Provider to provide Services and solely for the applicable term of such Services.
Section 4.02 Intellectual Property.
(a) Each Party, on behalf of itself and its Affiliates, hereby grants to the other Party and to its Affiliates and Sub-Contractors providing Services under this Agreement a nonexclusive, nontransferable, world-wide, royalty-free, sublicensable license, for the term of this Agreement, to use the intellectual property owned by such Party and the members of its Group solely to the extent necessary for the other Party and the members of its Group to perform their obligations hereunder or receive the Services provided hereunder, as applicable.
(b) Subject to the terms of the Separation Agreement, each Service Provider acknowledges and agrees that the Designated Work Product is and shall remain the exclusive property of the applicable Service Recipient. The Service Provider acknowledges and agrees that, to the fullest extent permitted under applicable Law, the Designated Work Product is a "work made for hire," as that phrase is defined in the Copyright Act of 1976 (17 U.S.C. §101), for the Service Recipient. To the extent title to any Designated Work Product vests in the Service Provider by operation of Law, in its capacity as a Service Provider, hereby assigns (and shall cause any such other Service Provider, and any Affiliate or Sub-Contractor of such Service Provider, to assign) to the relevant Service Recipient all right, title and interest in and to such Designated Work Product, and the Service Provider shall (and shall cause any Affiliate or Sub-Contractor of such Service Provider to) provide such assistance and execute such documents as the Service Recipient may reasonably request to assign to the relevant Service Recipient all right, title and interest in and to such work product. Each Service Recipient acknowledges and agrees that it will acquire no right, title or interest to any work product resulting from the provision of the Services hereunder that is not Designated Work Product, and such work product shall remain the exclusive property of the Service Provider.
(c) The Parties acknowledge that it may be necessary for each of them to make proprietary or third-party software available to the other in the course and for the purpose of performing Services, subject to Section 2.01(h) in the case of third-party software. Each Party (i) shall comply with all known license terms and conditions applicable to any and all proprietary or third-party software made available to such Party by the other Party in the course of the provision of Services hereunder and (ii) agrees that it shall use reasonable efforts to identify and provide to the other Party a copy of the applicable license terms (or, solely with respect to open source software or other software with publicly available license terms, information sufficient to direct such other Party to a copy thereof) for any and all proprietary or third-party software first made available to such other Party as of or after the Distribution Date, solely to the extent such provision would not violate the providing Party's duty of confidentiality owed to any third party.
(d) Except as expressly specified in this Section 4.02, nothing in this Agreement will be deemed to grant one Party, by implication, estoppel or otherwise, any license rights, ownership rights or other rights in any intellectual property owned by the other Party (or any Affiliate or Sub-Contractor of the other Party).
Section 4.03 Customer Receipt Payments and Bank Account Transition Process.
(a) For a period of twelve (12) months immediately following the Distribution ("Customer Receipt Payment Period"), in the event any payments related to trade receivables intended for the SpinCo Group or the Nuance Group, as applicable (the "Intended Payee"), is incorrectly received by any member of the other Group (the "Customer Receipt Payee") such Customer Receipt Payee will, as soon as reasonably practicable, but in no event in more than ten (10) business days following receipt of such payment (the "Misdirected Customer Payment"), send the applicable Intended Payee through wire transfer to an account designated by Intended Payee an amount equal to the value of such payment (each, a "Customer Receipt Payment").
(b) For each Customer Receipt Payment, the Customer Receipt Payee must provide the applicable customer(s) payment details to allow the Intended Payee to identify the customer(s) and the related transaction(s) associated with the Customer Receipt Payment, including each customer's name, accounts receivable account number and payment amount. On or prior to the Distribution Date, each Party shall provide the other Party with the relevant contact information of the persons to send this information.
(c) The Intended Payee will pursue corrections to the banking details internally. If a member of the SpinCo Group or the Nuance Group receives a Misdirected Customer Payment within the eleven (11) months following the Distribution, the Customer Receipt Payee will send a letter to the respective customer(s) every month following such payment for so long as such customer(s) continue to remit Misdirected Customer Payments (but in any event no longer than eleven (11) months following the Distribution), informing the customer of the need to use the correct bank account as designated by the Intended Payee. If such customer continues to send Misdirected Customer Payments in the eleventh (11th) month following the Distribution, the Customer Receipt Payee and the Intended Payee will send a final joint letter one month prior to the expiration of the Customer Receipt Payment Period.
(d) Each Party agrees to not send the other Party any Customer Receipt Payments from customers found on the U.S. Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control's Specially-Designated Nationals List or from any countries with which U.S. persons are prohibited from conducting business. Each Party agrees to not accept Customer Receipt Payments made in cash. Each Party agrees to immediately notify the other Party of any Customer Receipt Payments falling within the scope of this Section 4.03(d) and to cooperate with the other Party in taking any action recommended by the other Party in connection with such Customer Receipt Payments.
(e) All Customer Receipt Payments made by any Customer Receipt Payee to any Intended Payee hereunder shall be made by a wire transfer of immediately available funds in U.S. Dollars to a bank account designated in writing by the Intended Payee entitled to receive payment. Customer Receipt Payments may be bundled or sent on a per payment basis.
(f) All bank fees incurred for transmitting Customer Receipt Payments pursuant to this Section 4.03 will be paid by the Intended Payee and may be deducted from the
applicable Customer Receipt Payments sent to the Intended Payee by the Customer Receipt Payee.
Section 4.04 IT Agreements. Each Party acknowledges and agrees that the Services provided by a Service Provider through third parties or using third-party intellectual property are subject to the terms and conditions of any applicable agreements between the Service Provider and such third parties (such agreements, the "IT Agreements"), as set forth on Schedule G. The Service Provider shall use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain as promptly as possible any Consent of any Person that may be necessary for the performance of the Service Provider's obligations pursuant to this Agreement in accordance with Section 2.01(h) (it being understood that each Service Recipient shall only be granted access to IT Agreements during the term of this Agreement, and upon expiration of the applicable service term shall procure its own standalone license with the applicable third-party provider).
Section 4.05 Certain Supplier Agreements. Following the Distribution and until one year after the Distribution Date, Nuance shall, and shall cause the members of the Nuance Group to, cooperate in any reasonable and permissible arrangement to provide that SpinCo and the other members of the SpinCo Group shall receive the interest in the benefits and obligations under the Certain Supplier Agreements in accordance with the provisions of such Certain Supplier Agreement. Payments due to a third party for use of the Certain Supplier Agreements by the SpinCo Business shall either, at Nuance's sole option, be (i) paid by the member of the SpinCo Group receiving the benefit of such Certain Supplier Agreement or (ii) paid by a member of the Nuance Group and charged by Nuance to Cerence Subsidiary on a pass-through basis. Any internal or third-party costs incurred by Nuance in connection with Nuance's cooperation in accordance with this Section 4.05 shall be charged by Nuance to Cerence Subsidiary on a pass-through basis. Without limiting Cerence Subsidiary's obligations under Article VIII, Cerence Subsidiary shall indemnify and hold harmless the member of the Nuance Group party to such Certain Supplier Agreement for any Liability relating to, arising out of or resulting from Cerence Subsidiary's use of the Certain Supplier Agreements and Nuance's cooperation in accordance with this Section 4.05.
Section 5.01 Compensation for Services. In each case except as expressly provided in Schedule A or Schedule B:
(a) As compensation for each Service rendered pursuant to this Agreement, the Service Recipient shall be required to pay to the Service Provider a fee for the Service equal to the Cost of Services specified for such Service in Schedule A or Schedule B, as applicable (each fee constituting a "Service Charge").
(b) For Services with fees determined on an hourly basis (the "Hourly Services"), the Cost of Services are exclusive of any out-of-pocket third-party fees, costs and expenses that may be incurred by the Service Provider or any Sub-Contractor in connection with performing the Services. All of the costs and expenses described in this Section 5.01(b) ("Hourly
Services Expenses") shall be charged by the Service Provider to the Service Recipient on a pass-through basis. For the avoidance of doubt, the Hourly Services Expenses shall be consistent with the Service Provider's general approach with respect to such types of costs and expenses; provided that with respect to any Service, the Service Recipient's prior written approval shall be required to the extent that Hourly Services Expenses exceed fifteen percent (15%) of the Service Charge paid and payable to the Service Provider for such Service in any calendar quarter.
(c) During the term of this Agreement, the amount of a Cost of Service for a Service may increase during a Service Extension, in accordance with Section 6.02.
(d) The amount of any actual and documented sales tax, value-added tax, goods and services tax or similar tax that is required to be assessed and remitted by the Service Provider in connection with the Services provided hereunder ("Taxes") will be promptly paid to the Service Provider by the Service Recipient in accordance with Section 5.02. Such payment shall be in addition to the Cost of Services set forth in Schedule A or Schedule B, as applicable (unless such Tax is expressly already accounted for in the applicable Cost of Services). Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) in the case of value-added Taxes, the Service Recipient shall not be obligated to pay such Taxes, unless the Service Provider has issued to the Service Recipient a valid value-added tax invoice in respect thereof, and (ii) in the case of all Taxes, the Service Recipient shall not be obligated to pay such Taxes if and to the extent that the Service Recipient has provided any valid exemption certificates or other applicable documentation that would eliminate or reduce the obligation to collect or pay such Taxes.
(e) Either Party shall have the right to deduct or withhold from any payments otherwise payable under this Agreement such amounts as are required by applicable Law to be deducted or withheld with respect thereto and, to the extent such amounts are duly and timely remitted to the appropriate Governmental Authority, such deducted or withheld amounts shall be treated as paid to the other Party for all purposes of this Agreement; provided, however, that each Party shall notify the other Party in writing of any anticipated withholding at least fifteen (15) business days prior to making any such deduction or withholding and will cooperate with the other Party in obtaining any available exemption from or reduction of such deduction or withholding. The Party making such deduction or withholding shall promptly provide to the other Party tax receipts or other documents evidencing the payment of any such deducted or withheld amount to the applicable Governmental Authority.
Section 5.02 Payment Terms.
(a) The Service Provider shall bill the Service Recipient monthly in U.S. Dollars, within thirty (30) business days after the end of each month, or at such other interval specified with respect to a particular Service in Schedule A or Schedule B, as applicable, an amount equal to the aggregate Cost of Services due for all Services provided in such month or other specified interval, as applicable, plus any Taxes. Invoices shall set forth a description of the Services provided and reasonable documentation to support the charges thereon, which invoice and documentation shall be in the same level of detail and in accordance with the procedures for invoicing as provided to the Service Provider's other businesses. Invoices shall be directed to the Service Coordinator appointed by Nuance or Cerence Subsidiary, as applicable, or to such other Person designated in writing from time to time by such Service
Coordinator. The Service Recipient shall pay such amount in full within thirty (30) days after receipt of each invoice by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the account designated by the Service Provider for this purpose. If the thirtieth (30th) day falls on a weekend or a holiday, the Service Recipient shall pay such amount on or before the following business day. Each invoice shall set forth in reasonable detail the calculation of the charges and amounts and applicable Taxes for each Service during the month or other specified interval to which such invoice relates. In addition to any other remedies for non-payment, if any payment is not received by the Service Provider on or before the date such amount is due, then a late payment interest charge, calculated at the annual rate equal to the "Prime Rate" as reported on the thirtieth (30th) day after the date of the invoice in The Wall Street Journal (or, if such day is not a business day, the first business day immediately after such day), calculated on the basis of a year of 360 days and the actual number of days elapsed between the end of the thirty (30)-day payment period and the actual payment date, shall immediately begin to accrue and any such late payment interest charges shall become immediately due and payable in addition to the amount otherwise owed under this Agreement. The Service Recipient may elect by written notice to Service Provider to have invoices directed to and paid by any of Service Recipient's subsidiaries and, in such event, Service Recipient will make appropriate arrangements for the internal allocation of such invoiced costs within its Group. The Parties shall cooperate to achieve an invoicing structure that minimizes taxes for both Parties, including by implementing a local-to-local invoicing structure where applicable.
(b) The Service Recipient shall notify the Service Provider promptly, and in no event later than thirty (30) days following receipt of the Service Provider's invoice, of any disputed amounts. If the Service Recipient does not notify the Service Provider of any disputed amounts within such thirty (30)-day period, then Service Recipient will be deemed to have accepted the Service Provider's invoice. Any objection to the amount of any invoice shall be deemed to be a Dispute hereunder subject to the provisions applicable to Disputes set forth in Article IX. The Service Recipient shall pay any undisputed amount, and all Taxes (whether or not disputed), in accordance with this Section 5.02. The Service Provider shall, upon the written request of a Service Recipient, furnish such reasonable documentation to substantiate the amounts billed, including listings of the dates, times and amounts of the Services in question where applicable and practicable. The Service Recipient may withhold any payments subject to a Dispute other than Taxes; provided that any disputed payments, to the extent ultimately determined to be payable to the Service Provider, shall bear interest as set forth in Section 5.02(a).
(c) Subject to Section 5.02(b), no Service Recipient shall withhold any payments to its Service Provider under this Agreement in order to offset payments due to such Service Recipient pursuant to this Agreement, the Separation Agreement, any Ancillary Agreement or otherwise, unless such withholding is mutually agreed by the Parties or is provided for in the final ruling of a court having jurisdiction pursuant to Section 10.07. Any required adjustment to payments due hereunder will be made as a subsequent invoice.
Section 5.03 DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES. WITHOUT LIMITATION TO THE COVENANTS RELATING TO THE PROVISION OF SERVICES SET FORTH IN Section 2.01(f), THE SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED UNDER THIS AGREEMENT ARE FURNISHED WITHOUT REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO MEMBER OF THE NUANCE GROUP OR OF THE SPINCO GROUP, AS SERVICE PROVIDER, MAKES ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY THAT ANY SERVICE COMPLIES WITH ANY LAW, DOMESTIC OR FOREIGN.
Section 5.04 Books and Records. Nuance and Cerence Subsidiary shall each, and shall each cause the members of their Group to, maintain complete and accurate books of account as necessary to support calculations of the Cost of Services for Services rendered by it or the other members of its Group as Service Providers and shall make such books available to the other, upon reasonable notice, during normal business hours; provided, however, that to the extent Nuance's or Cerence Subsidiary's books, or the books of the members of their Group, contain Information relating to any other aspect of the Nuance Business or the SpinCo Business, as applicable, Nuance and Cerence Subsidiary shall negotiate a procedure to provide the other Party with necessary access while preserving the confidentiality of such other records.
Section 6.01 Commencement. This Agreement is effective as of the date hereof and shall remain in effect with respect to a particular Service until the occurrence of the Applicable Termination Date applicable to such Service (or, subject to the terms of Section 6.02, the expiration of any Service Extension applicable to such Service), unless earlier terminated (i) in its entirety or with respect to a particular Service, in each case in accordance with Section 6.03 or Section 6.04, or (ii) by mutual consent of the Parties. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, if the Separation Agreement shall be terminated in accordance with its terms, this Agreement shall be automatically terminated and void ab initio with no further action by the Parties and shall be of no force and effect.
Section 6.02 Service Extension. Except as expressly provided in Schedule A or Schedule B, if the Service Recipient reasonably determines that it will require a Service to continue beyond the Applicable Termination Date or the end of a subsequent extension period, the Service Recipient may request the Service Provider to extend the term of such Service for the desired renewal period(s) (each, a "Service Extension") by written notice to the Service Provider no less than forty-five (45) days prior to end of the then-current Service term; provided that a Service Recipient may only request to extend a Service that is included on Schedule D if it requests to extend all other Services that are designated on Schedule D as a Related Service with respect to such Service. The Service Provider shall respond to any such request for a Service Extension within fifteen (15) days of receipt and shall use commercially reasonable efforts to comply with such Service Extension request; provided, however, that (i) the Service Extensions with respect to each Service shall not extend the term of such Service to a date beyond the Applicable End Date applicable to such Service, (ii) the Service Provider will not be in breach of its obligations under this Section 6.02 if it is unable to comply with a Service Extension request through the use of commercially reasonable efforts, including where a Consent that is required in order for the Service Provider to continue to provide the applicable Service during the requested Service Extension cannot be obtained by the Service Provider through the use of commercially
reasonable efforts, (iii) the Service Provider shall not be required to contribute capital, pay or grant any consideration or concession in any form (including by providing any letter of credit, guaranty or other financial accommodation) to any Person in order to obtain or make any Consent that is required in order for the Service Provider to continue to provide the applicable Service during the requested Service Extension (other than reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, attorneys' fees and recording or similar fees, all of which shall be reimbursed by the Service Recipient, as promptly as reasonably practicable) and (iv) each Service Extension is permissible under applicable Law and would not prevent, or be reasonably likely to prevent, or be inconsistent with the qualification of the Distribution as a tax-free transaction for U.S. federal, state and local income tax purposes. With respect to Schedule A or Schedule B, as applicable, the Cost of Services specified for such Service in Schedule A or Schedule B, as applicable, shall be amended to include (i) for the period from the Applicable Termination Date until the date that is one half of the Applicable Original Duration following the Applicable Termination Date, an incremental surcharge of 10% and (ii) for the period from the date that is one half of the Applicable Original Duration following the Applicable Termination Date to the Applicable End Date, an incremental surcharge of 20%. The Parties shall amend the terms of Schedule A or Schedule B, as applicable, to reflect the new Service term and Cost of Services within five (5) days following the Service Provider's agreement to a Service Extension, subject to the conditions set forth in this Section 6.02. Each such amended Schedule A or Schedule B, as applicable, as agreed to in writing by the Parties, shall be deemed part of this Agreement as of the date of such agreement.
Section 6.03 Termination.
(a) This Agreement may be terminated:
(i) by either Nuance or Cerence Subsidiary at any time upon written notice to the other Party (which notice shall specify the basis for such claim for breach of this Agreement), if the other Party materially breaches this Agreement (and the period for resolution of the Dispute relating to such breach set forth in Section 9.01 has expired), effective upon not less than thirty (30)-days' written notice of termination to the breaching Party, if the breaching Party does not cure such default within thirty (30) days after receiving written notice thereof from the non-breaching Party; or
(ii) except as otherwise provided by Law, by either Nuance or Cerence Subsidiary at any time upon written notice to the other Party, if (i) the other Party is adjudicated as bankrupt, (ii) any insolvency, bankruptcy or reorganization proceeding is commenced by the other Party under any insolvency, bankruptcy or reorganization act, (iii) any action is taken by others against the other Party under any insolvency, bankruptcy or reorganization act and such Party fails to have such proceeding stayed or vacated within ninety (90) days or (iv) if the other Party makes an assignment for the benefit of creditors, or a receiver is appointed for the other Party which is not discharged within thirty (30) days after the appointment of the receiver.
Section 6.04 Partial Termination.
(a) If a Service Provider or Service Recipient materially breaches any of its respective obligations under this Agreement with respect to a Service (and the period for resolution of the Dispute relating to such breach set forth in Section 9.01 has expired), the non-breaching Service Recipient or Service Provider, as applicable, may terminate this Agreement with respect to the Service to which such obligations apply, effective upon not less than thirty (30) days' written notice of termination to the breaching Party, if the breaching Party does not cure such default within thirty (30) days after receiving written notice thereof from the non-breaching Party. The termination of this Agreement with respect to any Service pursuant to this Section 6.04 shall not affect the Parties' rights or obligations under this Agreement with respect to any other Service.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement or Schedule A or Schedule B, upon not less than sixty (60)-days' prior written notice, a Service Recipient shall be entitled to terminate one or more Services being provided by any Service Provider for any reason or no reason at all; provided that a Service Recipient may only terminate a Service that is included on Schedule D pursuant to this Section 6.04(b) if it simultaneously terminates all other Services that are designated on Schedule D as a Related Service with respect to such Service.
(c) In the event that a Service Provider reduces or suspends the provision of any Service due to a Force Majeure Event and such reduction or suspension continues for fifteen (15) days, the Service Recipient may immediately terminate such Service, upon written notice and without any obligations therefor, including any Service Charges in respect thereof.
Section 6.05 Effect of Termination.
(a) Each Party agrees and acknowledges that the obligations of each Party to provide the Services, or to cause the Services to be provided, hereunder shall immediately cease upon (i) the termination of any (or all) such Service(s) at the Applicable Termination Date applicable to each such Service (or, subject to the terms of Section 6.02, the expiration of any Service Extension applicable to such Service), (ii) termination of (A) this Agreement or (B) any particular Service, in each case in accordance with Section 6.04, or (iii) upon termination of the Agreement or any Service by mutual consent of the Parties. Upon cessation of the Service Provider's obligation to provide any Service, the Service Recipient shall stop using, directly or indirectly, such Service.
(b) Upon the request of the Service Recipient after the termination of a Service with respect to which the Service Provider holds books, records or files, including current and archived copies of computer files, (i) owned solely by the Service Recipient or its Affiliates and used by the Service Provider in connection with the provision of a Service pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) created by the Service Provider and in the Service Provider's possession as a function of and relating solely to the provision of Services pursuant to this Agreement, such books, records and files shall either be returned to the Service Recipient or destroyed by the Service Provider, with certification of such destruction provided to the Service Recipient, other than, in each case, such books, records and files electronically preserved or
recorded within any computerized data storage device or component (including any hard-drive or database) pursuant to automatic or routine backup procedures generally accessible only by legal, IT or compliance personnel, which such books, records and files will not be used by the Service Provider for any other purpose. The Service Recipient shall bear the Service Provider's reasonable, necessary and actual out-of-pocket costs and expenses associated with the return or destruction of such books, records or files. At its expense, the Service Provider may make one copy of such books, records or files for its legal files, subject to such Party's obligations under Section 10.05.
(c) In the event that any Service is terminated other than at the end of a month, and the Service Charge associated with such Service is determined on a monthly basis, the Service Provider shall bill the Service Recipient for the entire month in which such Service is terminated. The Parties acknowledge that there may be interdependencies among the Services being provided under this Agreement that may not be identified on Schedule A, Schedule B or Schedule D, as applicable, and agree that, if the Service Provider's ability to provide a particular Service in accordance with this Agreement is materially and adversely affected by the termination of another Service in accordance with Section 6.04, then the Parties shall negotiate in good faith to amend the Schedule A or Schedule B, as applicable, relating to such affected continuing Service.
(d) In the event of a termination under Section 6.04, the Service Recipient shall pay to the Service Provider any breakage or termination fees, and other termination costs payable by the Service Provider, solely as a result of the early termination of such Service, with respect to any resources or pursuant to any other third-party agreements that were used by the Service Provider to provide such Service (or an equitably allocated portion thereof, in the case of any such equipment, resources or agreements that also were used for purposes other than providing Services) ("Termination Charges"). The Service Provider will provide to the Service Recipient an invoice for the Termination Charges, within thirty (30) days following the date of any termination of a Service under Section 6.04 and will provide reasonable documentary evidence to substantiate such Termination Charges.
(e) In the event of any termination of this Agreement in its entirety or with respect to any Service, each Party, Service Provider and Service Recipient shall remain liable for all of their respective obligations that accrued hereunder prior to the date of such termination, including all obligations of each Service Recipient to pay any Service Charges due to any Service Provider hereunder.
(f) The following matters shall survive the termination of this Agreement, including the rights and obligations of each Party thereunder, in addition to any claim for breach arising prior to termination: Article I, Section 4.02(b), Article V, Article VII (including liability in respect of any indemnifiable Liabilities under this Agreement arising or occurring on or prior to the date of termination), this Section 6.05, Article IX, Article X and all confidentiality obligations under this Agreement.
Indemnification; Limitation of Liability
Section 7.01 Indemnification by Cerence Subsidiary.
(a) Cerence Subsidiary, in its capacity as a Service Recipient and on behalf of each member of its Group in its capacity as a Service Recipient, shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless Nuance and the other Nuance Indemnitees from and against any and all Liabilities incurred by such Nuance Indemnitee to the extent relating to, arising out of or resulting from any Services provided by any member of the Nuance Group hereunder, except to the extent such Liabilities arise out of a Nuance Group member's (i) breach of this Agreement, (ii) violation of Laws in providing the Services or (iii) gross negligence or willful misconduct in providing the Services.
(b) Cerence Subsidiary, in its capacity as a Service Provider and on behalf of each member of its Group in its capacity as a Service Provider, shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless Nuance and the other Nuance Indemnitees from and against any and all Liabilities incurred by such Nuance Indemnitee to the extent relating to, arising out of or resulting from any Services provided by any member of the Nuance Group hereunder, to the extent such Liabilities result from a SpinCo Group member's (i) breach of this Agreement, (ii) violation of Laws in providing the Services or (iii) gross negligence or willful misconduct in providing the Services.
Section 7.02 Indemnification by Nuance.
(a) Nuance, in its capacity as a Service Recipient and on behalf of each member of its Group in its capacity as a Service Recipient, shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless Cerence Subsidiary and the other SpinCo Indemnitees from and against any and all Liabilities incurred by such SpinCo Indemnitee to the extent relating to, arising out of or resulting from any Services provided by any member of the SpinCo Group hereunder, except to the extent such Liabilities arise out of a SpinCo Group member's (i) breach of this Agreement, (ii) violation of Laws in providing the Services or (iii) gross negligence or willful misconduct in providing the Services.
(b) Nuance, in its capacity as a Service Provider and on behalf of each member of its Group in its capacity as a Service Provider, shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless Cerence Subsidiary and the other SpinCo Indemnitees from and against any and all Liabilities incurred by such SpinCo Indemnitee to the extent relating to, arising out of or resulting from any Services provided by any member of the Nuance Group hereunder, to the extent such Liabilities result from a Nuance Group member's (i) breach of this Agreement, (ii) violation of Laws in providing the Services or (iii) gross negligence or willful misconduct in providing the Services.
Section 7.03 Indemnification Procedures. The provisions of Section 6.05 of the Separation Agreement shall govern claims for indemnification under this Agreement, provided that, for purposes of this Section 7.03, in the event of any conflict between the provisions of
Section 6.05 of the Separation Agreement and this Article VII, the provisions of this Agreement shall control.
Section 7.04 Exclusion of Other Remedies. Without limiting the rights under Section 10.09, the provisions of Sections 7.01 and 7.02 shall, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable Law, be the sole and exclusive remedies of the Nuance Group and the SpinCo Group, as applicable, for any Liability, whether arising from statute, principle of common or civil law, principles of strict liability, tort, contract or otherwise under this Agreement.
Section 7.05 Other Indemnification Obligations Unaffected. For avoidance of doubt, this Article VII applies solely to the specific matters and activities covered by this Agreement (and not to matters specifically covered by the Separation Agreement or the other Ancillary Agreements).
Section 7.06 Limitation on Liability.
(a) No Service Provider, in its capacity as such, nor any member of its Group acting in the capacity of a Service Provider, nor any Indemnitee thereof, shall be liable (whether such liability is direct or indirect, in contract or tort or otherwise) to the other Party (or any of such other Party's Indemnitees) for any Liabilities relating to, arising out of or resulting from the Services or this Agreement, except to the extent that such Liabilities arise out of such Service Provider's (or a member of its Group's) (i) breach of this Agreement, (ii) violation of Laws in providing the Services or (iii) gross negligence or willful misconduct in providing the Services; provided that nothing in this Section 7.06 shall be deemed to limit a Service Recipient's rights under Section 7.06(d) regarding Insurance Proceeds in respect of Third-Party Claims.
(b) IN NO EVENT SHALL ANY SERVICE PROVIDER, IN ITS CAPACITY AS SUCH, NOR ANY MEMBER OF ITS GROUP ACTING IN THE CAPACITY OF A SERVICE PROVIDER, NOR ANY INDEMNITEE THEREOF, BE LIABLE, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, IN TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE AND STRICT LIABILITY) OR OTHERWISE TO THE SERVICE RECIPIENT (OR ANY OF ITS INDEMNITEES) FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOSS OF PROFITS) AS A RESULT OF ANY BREACH, PERFORMANCE OR NON-PERFORMANCE BY SUCH SERVICE PROVIDER UNDER THIS AGREEMENT, EXCEPT AS MAY BE PAYABLE TO A CLAIMANT IN A THIRD-PARTY CLAIM.
(c) EACH GROUP'S TOTAL LIABILITY, IN ITS CAPACITY AS A SERVICE PROVIDER, TO THE OTHER GROUP RELATING TO, ARISING OUT OF OR RESULTING FROM THE SERVICES OR THIS AGREEMENT FOR ALL CLAIMS SHALL NOT EXCEED IN THE AGGREGATE AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO THE TOTAL AMOUNT PAID TO IT FOR SERVICES UNDER THIS AGREEMENT; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT, NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING, IN THE CASE OF ANY LIABILITY TO THE OTHER PARTY ARISING OUT OF A THIRD-PARTY CLAIM, EACH GROUP'S TOTAL LIABILITY IN ITS CAPACITY AS A SERVICE PROVIDER TO THE OTHER GROUP SHALL BE INCREASED BY AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO THE AMOUNT, IF ANY,
OF ANY INSURANCE PROCEEDS THAT ARE ACTUALLY RECEIVED BY SUCH SERVICE PROVIDER IN ACCORDANCE WITH Section 7.06(d).
(d) If a Service Provider, in its capacity as such, or any member of its Group acting in the capacity of a Service Provider, or any Indemnitee thereof, shall be liable to the other Party for any Liability arising out of a Third-Party Claim, such Service Provider, at the request of the Indemnitee, shall use commercially reasonable efforts to pursue and recover any available Insurance Proceeds under applicable insurance policies. Promptly upon the actual receipt of any such Insurance Proceeds, such Service Provider shall pay such Insurance Proceeds to the applicable Indemnitee to the extent of the Liability arising out of the applicable Third-Party Claim. The Indemnitee shall, upon the request of such Service Provider and to the extent permitted under such Service Provider's applicable insurance policies, promptly pay directly to such Service Provider or to such Service Provider's insurer any reasonable costs or expenses incurred in the collection of such Indemnitee's portion of such Insurance Proceeds (including such Indemnitee's portion of applicable retentions or deductibles); provided, however, that in no event shall an Indemnitee's portion of such collection costs and expenses, applicable retentions and deductibles exceed the amount of Insurance Proceeds actually received by such Indemnitee.
Other Covenants
Section 8.01 Attorney-in-Fact. On a case-by-case basis, the Service Recipient shall execute documents necessary to appoint the Service Provider as its attorney-in-fact for the sole purpose of executing any and all documents and instruments reasonably required to be executed in connection with the performance by the Service Provider of any Service under this Agreement.
Section 8.02 Further Assurances. Each Party hereto shall take, or cause to be taken, any and all reasonable actions, including the execution, acknowledgment, filing and delivery of any and all documents and instruments that any other Party hereto may reasonably request in order to effect the intent and purpose of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby.
Section 9.01 General. Except as expressly provided in this Article IX, the Parties shall resolve all disputes arising under or in connection with this Agreement (each, a "Dispute") in accordance with the following procedures set forth in this Article IX (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any Dispute relating to payments with respect to the Services).
Section 9.02 Resolution Committee. All Disputes will be first considered in person, by teleconference or by video conference by the Service Coordinators within five (5) business days after receipt of notice from either Party specifying the nature of the Dispute (a
"Dispute Notice"). The Service Coordinators shall enter into negotiations aimed at resolving any such Dispute. If the Service Coordinators are unable to reach a resolution with respect to the Dispute within ten (10) business days after receipt of notice of the Dispute, the Dispute shall be referred to a Resolution Committee comprised of specified transition leaders (the "Resolution Committee") from Nuance and Cerence Subsidiary. On or prior to the Distribution Date, each Party shall provide the other Party with the name and relevant contact information for its respective initial Resolution Committee member, and either Party may replace its Resolution Committee members at any time with other persons of similar seniority by providing written notice in accordance with Section 10.12. The Resolution Committee will meet (by telephone or in person) during the next ten (10) business days and attempt to resolve the Dispute. In the event that the Resolution Committee is unable to reach a resolution with respect to the Dispute within ten (10) business days of the referral of the matter to the Resolution Committee, then the Dispute shall be referred to a senior executive of each Party in accordance with Section 9.03 and the Parties shall retain all rights with respect to remedies hereunder.
Section 9.03 Senior Executive Referral. If no resolution is reached with respect to any Dispute in accordance with Section 9.02, then a senior executive of each Party shall, in good faith, attempt to resolve any such Dispute within the following thirty (30) days of the referral of the matter to the senior executives. If no resolution is reached with respect to any such Dispute in accordance with the procedures contained in Section 9.02 and this Section 9.03, then the Parties may seek to resolve such matter in accordance with Section 10.07, Section 10.08 and Section 10.09.
Section 9.04 Court-Ordered Interim Relief. In accordance with this Section 9.04 and Section 10.08, at any time after giving notice of a Dispute, each Party shall be entitled to interim measures of protection duly granted by a court of competent jurisdiction: (1) to preserve the status quo pending resolution of the dispute; (2) to prevent the destruction or loss of documents and other information or things relating to the dispute; or (3) to prevent the transfer, disposition or hiding of assets. Any such interim measure (or a request therefor to a court of competent jurisdiction) shall not be deemed incompatible with the provisions of Section 10.07 and Section 10.08. Until such Dispute is resolved in accordance with this Article IX or final judgment is rendered in accordance with Section 10.07 and Section 10.08, each Party agrees that such Party shall continue to perform its obligations under this Agreement and that such obligations shall not be subject to any defense or set-off, counterclaim, recoupment or termination.
Section 10.01 Title to Equipment; Title to Data.
(a) Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, each of Cerence Subsidiary and Nuance acknowledges that all procedures, methods, systems, strategies, tools, equipment, facilities and other resources used by any Service Provider in connection with the provision of Services shall remain the property of such Service Provider and shall at all times be under the sole direction and control of such Service Provider.
(b) Each of Cerence Subsidiary and Nuance acknowledges that it will acquire no right, title or interest (including any license rights or rights of use) in any firmware or software, or the licenses therefor that are owned by the other Party or its Affiliates, Subsidiaries or divisions, by reason of the provision of the Services hereunder, except as expressly provided in Section 4.02.
Section 10.02 Force Majeure. In case performance of any terms or provisions hereof shall be delayed or prevented, in whole or in part, because of or related to compliance with any Law or requirement of any national securities exchange, or because of riot, war, public disturbance, strike, labor dispute, fire, explosion, storm, flood, earthquake, pandemic, shortage of necessary equipment, materials or labor, or restrictions thereon or limitations upon the use thereof, delays in transportation, act of God or act of terrorism, in each case, that is not within the control of the Party whose performance is interfered with and which, by the exercise of reasonable diligence, such Party is unable to prevent, or for any other reason which is not within the control of such Party whose performance is interfered with and which, by the exercise of reasonable diligence, such Party is unable to prevent (each, a "Force Majeure Event"), then, upon prompt written notice stating the date and extent of such interference and the cause thereof by such Party to the other Party, such Party shall be excused from its obligations hereunder during the period such Force Majeure Event or its effects continue, and no liability shall attach against either Party on account thereof; provided, however, that the Party whose performance is interfered with promptly resumes the required performance upon the cessation of the Force Majeure Event or its effects. No Party shall be excused from performance if such Party fails to use commercially reasonable efforts to remedy the situation and remove the cause and effects of the Force Majeure Event.
Section 10.03 Separation Agreement. The Parties agree that, in the event of a conflict between the terms of this Agreement and the Separation Agreement with respect to the subject matter hereof, the terms of this Agreement shall govern.
Section 10.04 Relationship of Parties. Nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed or construed by the Parties or any third party as creating a relationship of principal and agent, partnership or joint venture between the Parties, between Service Providers and Service Recipients or with any individual providing Services, it being understood and agreed that no provision contained herein, and no act of any Party or members of their respective Groups, shall be deemed to create any relationship between the Parties or members of their respective Groups other than the relationship set forth herein. Each Party and each Service Provider shall act under this Agreement solely as an independent contractor and not as an agent or employee of any other Party or any of such Party's Affiliates.
Section 10.05 Confidentiality. Each Party hereby acknowledges that confidential Information of such Party or members of its Group may be exposed to employees and agents of the other Party or its Group who have a need to know such confidential Information as a result of, or in connection with, the activities contemplated by this Agreement. Each Party agrees, on behalf of itself and its Affiliates, that such Party's obligation (and the obligation of members of its Group) to use and keep confidential such Information of the other Party or its Group shall be governed by Section 7.09 of the Separation Agreement.
Section 10.06 Counterparts; Entire Agreement.
(b) This Agreement, the Separation Agreement, the other Ancillary Agreements and the Exhibits and Schedules hereto and thereto contain the entire agreement between the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede all previous agreements, negotiations, discussions, writings, understandings, commitments and conversations with respect to such subject matter, and there are no agreements or understandings between the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof other than those set forth or referred to herein or therein.
Section 10.07 Governing Law; Jurisdiction. Any disputes relating to, arising out of or resulting from this Agreement, including to its execution, performance, or enforcement, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the Laws of the State of Delaware, regardless of the Laws that might otherwise govern under applicable principles of conflicts of Laws thereof. Each Party irrevocably consents to the exclusive jurisdiction, forum and venue of the Delaware Court of Chancery (and if the Delaware Court of Chancery shall be unavailable, any Delaware State court or the federal court sitting in the State of Delaware) over any and all claims, disputes, controversies or disagreements between the Parties or any of their respective Affiliates, successors and assigns under or related to this Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby, including their execution, performance or enforcement, whether in contract, tort or otherwise. Each of the Parties hereby agrees that it shall not assert and shall hereby waive any claim or right or defense that it is not subject to the jurisdiction of such courts, that the venue is improper, that the forum is inconvenient or any similar objection, claim or argument. Each Party agrees that a final judgment in any legal proceeding resolved in accordance with Article IX this Section 10.07, Section 10.08 and Section 10.09 shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by applicable Law.
Section 10.08 WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH PARTY HEREBY WAIVES ITS RIGHTS TO A JURY TRIAL OF ANY CLAIM OR CAUSE OF ACTION RELATING TO, ARISING OUT OF OR RESULTING FROM THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THEIR EXECUTION, PERFORMANCE OR ENFORCEMENT, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE. THE SCOPE OF THIS WAIVER IS INTENDED TO BE ALL-ENCOMPASSING OF ANY AND ALL DISPUTES THAT MAY BE FILED IN ANY COURT AND THAT RELATE TO THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS TRANSACTION, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, CONTRACT CLAIMS, TORT CLAIMS (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), BREACH OF DUTY CLAIMS AND ALL OTHER COMMON LAW AND STATUTORY CLAIMS. THIS SECTION HAS BEEN FULLY DISCUSSED BY
EACH OF THE PARTIES AND THESE PROVISIONS WILL NOT BE SUBJECT TO ANY EXCEPTIONS.
Section 10.09 Specific Performance. Subject to Article IX, in the event of any actual or threatened default in, or breach of, any of the terms, conditions and provisions of this Agreement, the affected Party shall have the right to specific performance and injunctive or other equitable relief of its rights under this Agreement, in addition to any and all other rights and remedies at Law or in equity, and all such rights and remedies shall be cumulative. The other Party shall not oppose the granting of such relief on the basis that money damages are an adequate remedy. The Parties agree that the remedies at Law for any breach or threatened breach hereof, including monetary damages, are inadequate compensation for any loss and that any defense in any action for specific performance that a remedy at Law would be adequate is waived. Any requirements for the securing or posting of any bond with such remedy are waived.
Section 10.10 Assignability. Neither this Agreement nor any of the rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement shall be assigned, in whole or in part, by operation of Law or otherwise by either Party without the prior written consent of the other Party, except that each Party may assign any and all of its rights under this Agreement to one or more of its wholly owned Subsidiaries. Any purported assignment without such consent shall be void. Subject to the preceding sentences, this Agreement will be binding upon, inure to the benefit of, and be enforceable by, the Parties and their respective successors and assigns. Notwithstanding the foregoing, either Party may assign this Agreement without prior written consent in connection with (a) a merger transaction in which such Party is not the surviving entity and the surviving entity acquires or assumes all or substantially all of such Party's Assets, or (b) the sale of all or substantially all of such Party's Assets; provided, however, that the assignee or successor-in-interest expressly assumes in writing all of the obligations of the assigning Party under this Agreement, and the assigning Party provides written notice and evidence of such assignment, assumption or succession to the non-assigning Party. No assignment permitted by this Section 10.10 shall release the assigning Party from liability for the full performance of its obligations under this Agreement. Nothing in this Section 10.10 shall affect or impair a Service Provider's ability to delegate any or all of its obligations under this Agreement to one or more Affiliates or Sub-Contractors pursuant to Section 2.01(e).
Section 10.11 Third-Party Beneficiaries. Except for the indemnification rights under this Agreement of any Nuance Indemnitee or SpinCo Indemnitee in his, her or its respective capacities as such, (a) the provisions of this Agreement are solely for the benefit of the Parties hereto and are not intended to confer upon any Person except the Parties hereto any rights or remedies hereunder and (b) there are no third-party beneficiaries of this Agreement and this Agreement shall not provide any third person with any remedy, claim, liability, reimbursement, cause of action or other right in excess of those existing without reference to this Agreement.
Section 10.12 Notices. All notices or other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be provided in the manner set forth in the Separation Agreement.
Section 10.13 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement or the application thereof to any Person or circumstance is determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be
invalid, void or unenforceable, the remaining provisions hereof, or the application of such provision to Persons or circumstances or in jurisdictions other than those as to which it has been held invalid or unenforceable, shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated thereby, so long as the economic or legal substance of the transactions contemplated hereby is not affected in any manner materially adverse to either Party. Upon any such determination, any such provision, to the extent determined to be invalid, void or unenforceable, shall be deemed replaced by a provision that such court determines is valid and enforceable and that comes closest to expressing the intention of the invalid, void or unenforceable provision.
Section 10.14 Headings. The article, section and paragraph headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.
Section 10.15 Waivers of Default. No failure or delay of any Party (or the applicable member of its Group) in exercising any right or remedy under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or power, or any abandonment or discontinuance of steps to enforce such right or power, or any course of conduct, preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right or power. Waiver by any Party of any default by the other Party of any provision of this Agreement shall not be deemed a waiver by the waiving Party of any subsequent or other default.
Section 10.17 Interpretation. The rules of interpretation set forth in Section 12.17 of the Separation Agreement are incorporated by reference into this Agreement, mutatis mutandis.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.
Section 1.01.
SpinCo Employees
Prepositioning of Transferring Employees
Delayed Transfer Employees
Collectively Bargained Employees
Liabilities and Assets Generally
No Change in Control
Inadvertent Transfers