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Exhibit 1.1
THE GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY
Underwriting Agreement
----------------------
New York, New York
To the Representative(s)
named in Schedule I
hereto of the Under-
writers named in
Schedule II hereto
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, an Ohio corporation (the
"Company"), proposes to sell to the underwriters named in Schedule II hereto
(the "Underwriters"), for whom you (the "Representatives") are acting as
representatives, the principal amount of its securities identified in Schedule
I hereto (the "Securities"), to be issued under an indenture (the "Indenture")
dated as of March 15, 1996, between the Company and Chemical Bank, as trustee
(the "Trustee"). If the firm or firms listed in Schedule II hereto include
only the firm or firms listed in Schedule I hereto, then the terms
"Underwriters" and "Representatives", as used herein, shall each be deemed to
refer to such firm or firms.
1. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES. The Company represents
and warrants to, and agrees with, each Underwriter as set forth below in this
Section 1. Certain terms used in this Section 1 are defined in paragraph (c)
hereof.
(a) If the offering of the Securities is a Delayed Offering
(as specified in Schedule I hereto), paragraph (i) below is applicable
and, if the offering
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of the Securities is a Non-Delayed Offering (as so specified),
paragraph (ii) below is applicable.
(i) The Company meets the requirements for the use
of Form S-3 under the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Act") and
has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"Commission") a registration statement (the file number of
which is set forth in Schedule I hereto) on such Form,
including a basic prospectus, for registration under the Act
of the offering and sale of the Securities. The Company may
have filed one or more amendments thereto, and may have used a
Preliminary Final Prospectus, each of which has previously
been furnished to you. Such registration statement, as so
amended, has become effective. The offering of the Securities
is a Delayed Offering and, although the Basic Prospectus may
not include all the information with respect to the Securities
and the offering thereof required by the Act and the rules
thereunder to be included in the Final Prospectus, the Basic
Prospectus includes all such information required by the Act
and the rules thereunder to be included therein as of the
Effective Date. The Company will next file with the
Commission pursuant to Rules 415 and 424(b)(2) or (5) a final
supplement to the form of prospectus included in such
registration statement relating to the Securities and the
offering thereof. As filed, such final prospectus supplement
shall include or incorporate by reference to other documents
all required information with respect to the Securities and
the offering thereof and, except to the extent the
Representatives shall agree in writing to a modification,
shall be in all substantive respects in the form furnished to
you prior to the Execution Time or, to the extent not
completed at the Execution Time, shall contain only such
specific additional information and other changes (beyond that
contained in the Basic Prospectus and any Preliminary Final
Prospectus) as the Company has advised you, prior to the
Execution Time, will be included or made therein.
(ii) The Company meets the requirements for the use
of Form S-3 under the Act and has filed with the Commission a
registration statement (the
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file number of which is set forth in Schedule I hereto) on
such Form, including a basic prospectus, for registration
under the Act of the offering and sale of the Securities. The
Company may have filed one or more amendments thereto,
including a Preliminary Final Prospectus, each of which has
previously been furnished to you. The Company will next file
with the Commission either (x) a final prospectus supplement
relating to the Securities in accordance with Rules 430A and
424(b)(1) or (4), or (y) prior to the effectiveness of such
registration statement, an amendment to such registration
statement, including the form of final prospectus supplement.
In the case of clause (x), the Company has included in such
registration statement, as amended at the Effective Date, all
information (other than Rule 430A Information) required by the
Act and the rules thereunder to be included in the Final
Prospectus with respect to the Securities and the offering
thereof. As filed, such final prospectus supplement or such
amendment and form of final prospectus supplement shall
contain all Rule 430A Information, together with all other
such required information, with respect to the Securities and
the offering thereof and, except to the extent the
Representatives shall agree in writing to a modification,
shall be in all substantive respects in the form furnished to
you prior to the Execution Time or, to the extent not
completed at the Execution Time, shall contain only such
specific additional information and other changes (beyond that
contained in the Basic Prospectus and any Preliminary Final
Prospectus) as the Company has advised you, prior to the
Execution Time, will be included or made therein.
(b) On the Effective Date, the Registration Statement did or
will, and when the Final Prospectus is first filed (if required) in
accordance with Rule 424(b) and on the Closing Date, the Final
Prospectus (and any supplement thereto) will, comply in all material
respects with the applicable requirements of the Act, the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") and the Trust Indenture Act
of 1939 (the "Trust Indenture Act") and the respective rules
thereunder; on the Effective Date, the Registration Statement did not
or will not contain any untrue
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statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the
statements therein not misleading; on the Effective Date and on the
Closing Date the Indenture did or will comply in all material respects
with the requirements of the Trust Indenture Act and the rules
thereunder; and, on the Effective Date, the Final Prospectus, if not
filed pursuant to Rule 424(b), did not or will not, and on the date of
any filing pursuant to Rule 424(b) and on the Closing Date, the Final
Prospectus (together with any supplement thereto) will not, include
any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material
fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light
of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the Company makes no representations or
warranties as to (i) that part of the Registration Statement which
shall constitute the Statement of Eligibility and Qualification (Form
T-1) under the Trust Indenture Act of the Trustee or (ii) the
information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement or
the Final Prospectus (or any supplement thereto) in reliance upon and
in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by
or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representatives
specifically for inclusion in the Registration Statement or the Final
Prospectus (or any supplement thereto).
(c) The terms which follow, when used in this Agreement,
shall have the meanings indicated. The term "the Effective Date"
shall mean each date that the Registration Statement and any
post-effective amendment or amendments thereto became or become
effective and each date after the date hereof on which a document
incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement is filed.
"Execution Time" shall mean the date and time that this Agreement is
executed and delivered by the parties hereto. "Basic Prospectus"
shall mean the prospectus referred to in paragraph (a) above contained
in the Registration Statement at the Effective Date including, in the
case of a Non-Delayed Offering, any Preliminary Final Prospectus.
"Preliminary Final Prospectus" shall mean any preliminary prospectus
supplement to the Basic Prospectus which describes the Securities and
the offering thereof and is used prior to filing of the Final
Prospectus. "Final Prospectus" shall mean the prospectus supplement
relating to the
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Securities that is first filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) after the
Execution Time, together with the Basic Prospectus or, if, in the case
of a Non-Delayed Offering, no filing pursuant to Rule 424(b) is
required, shall mean the form of final prospectus relating to the
Securities, including the Basic Prospectus, included in the
Registration Statement at the Effective Date. "Registration
Statement" shall mean the registration statement referred to in
paragraph (a) above, including incorporated documents, exhibits and
financial statements, as amended at the Execution Time (or, if not
effective at the Execution Time, in the form in which it shall become
effective) and, in the event any post-effective amendment thereto
becomes effective prior to the Closing Date (as hereinafter defined),
shall also mean such registration statement as so amended. Such term
shall include any Rule 430A Information deemed to be included therein
at the Effective Date as provided by Rule 430A. "Rule 415", "Rule
424", "Rule 430A" and "Regulation S-K" refer to such rules or
regulation under the Act. "Rule 430A Information" means information
with respect to the Securities and the offering thereof permitted to
be omitted from the Registration Statement when it becomes effective
pursuant to Rule 430A. Any reference herein to the Registration
Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Final Prospectus or
the Final Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the
documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of
Form S-3 which were filed under the Exchange Act on or before the
Effective Date of the Registration Statement or the issue date of the
Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Final Prospectus or the Final
Prospectus, as the case may be; and any reference herein to the terms
"amend", "amendment" or "supplement" with respect to the Registration
Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Final Prospectus or
the Final Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the
filing of any document under the Exchange Act after the Effective Date
of the Registration Statement or the issue date of the Basic
Prospectus, any Preliminary Final Prospectus or the Final Prospectus,
as the case may be, deemed to be incorporated therein by reference. A
"Non-Delayed Offering" shall mean an offering of securities which is
intended to commence promptly after the effective date of a
registration statement, with the result that, pursuant to Rules 415
and 430A, all information (other
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than Rule 430A Information) with respect to the securities so offered
must be included in such registration statement at the effective date
thereof. A "Delayed Offering" shall mean an offering of securities
pursuant to Rule 415 which does not commence promptly after the
effective date of a registration statement, with the result that only
information required pursuant to Rule 415 need be included in such
registration statement at the effective date thereof with respect to
the securities so offered. Whether the offering of the Securities is
a Non-Delayed Offering or a Delayed Offering shall be set forth in
Schedule I hereto.
2. PURCHASE AND SALE. Subject to the terms and conditions
and in reliance upon the representations and warranties herein set forth, the
Company agrees to sell to each Underwriter, and each Underwriter agrees,
severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at the purchase price
set forth in Schedule I hereto the principal amount of the Securities set forth
opposite such Underwriter's name in Schedule II hereto, except that, if
Schedule I hereto provides for the sale of Securities pursuant to delayed
delivery arrangements, the respective principal amounts of Securities to be
purchased by the Underwriters shall be as set forth in Schedule II hereto less
the respective amounts of Contract Securities determined as provided below.
Securities to be purchased by the Underwriters are herein sometimes called the
"Underwriters' Securities" and Securities to be purchased pursuant to Delayed
Delivery Contracts as hereinafter provided are herein called "Contract
Securities".
If so provided in Schedule I hereto, the Underwriters are
authorized to solicit offers to purchase Securities from the Company pursuant
to delayed delivery contracts ("Delayed Delivery Contracts"), substantially in
the form of Schedule III hereto but with such changes therein as the Company
may authorize or approve. The Underwriters will endeavor to make such
arrangements and, as compensation therefor, the Company will pay to the
Representatives, for the account of the Underwriters, on the Closing Date, the
percentage set forth in Schedule I hereto of the principal amount of the
Securities for which Delayed Delivery Contracts are made. Delayed Delivery
Contracts are to be with institutional investors, including commercial and
savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies and
educational and charitable institutions. The Company will enter into Delayed
Delivery Contracts in all
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cases where sales of Contract Securities arranged by the Underwriters have been
approved by the Company but, except as the Company may otherwise agree, each
such Delayed Delivery Contract must be for not less than the minimum principal
amount set forth in Schedule I hereto and the aggregate principal amount of
Contract Securities may not exceed the maximum aggregate principal amount set
forth in Schedule I hereto. The Underwriters will not have any responsibility
in respect of the validity or performance of Delayed Delivery Contracts. The
principal amount of Securities to be purchased by each Underwriter as set forth
in Schedule II hereto shall be reduced by an amount which shall bear the same
proportion to the total principal amount of Contract Securities as the
principal amount of Securities set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter
bears to the aggregate principal amount set forth in Schedule II hereto, except
to the extent that you determine that such reduction shall be otherwise than in
such proportion and so advise the Company in writing; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that
the total principal amount of Securities to be purchased by all Underwriters
shall be the aggregate principal amount set forth in Schedule II hereto less
the aggregate principal amount of Contract Securities.
3. DELIVERY AND PAYMENT. Delivery of and payment for the
Underwriters' Securities shall be made on the date and at the time specified in
Schedule I hereto (or such later date not later than five business days after
such specified date as the Representatives shall designate), which date and
time may be postponed by agreement between the Representatives and the Company
or as provided in Section 8 hereof (such date and time of delivery and payment
for the Underwriters' Securities being herein called the "Closing Date").
Payment for the Underwriters' Securities shall be made by certified or official
bank check or checks payable to the order of the Company, or by wire transfer
if so specified in Schedule I, in the funds and at the time and place set forth
in Schedule I, upon delivery to the Representatives for the respective accounts
of the several Underwriters of the Underwriters' Securities. Unless otherwise
specified in Schedule I, the Underwriters' Securities will be represented by
one or more definitive global Securities in book-entry form which will be
deposited by or on behalf of the Company with The Depository Trust Company (the
"DTC") or its designated custodian. The Company will deliver the Underwriters'
Securities to the Representatives for the account of each Underwriter by
causing DTC to credit the Underwriters' Securities to the
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account of the Representatives at DTC. The Company will cause the certificates
representing the Underwriters' Securities to be made available to the
Representatives for checking on the business day prior to the date of delivery
at the office of DTC or its designated custodian.
4. AGREEMENTS. The Company agrees with the several
Underwriters that:
(a) The Company will use its best efforts to cause the
Registration Statement, if not effective at the Execution Time, and
any amendment thereto, to become effective. Prior to the termination
of the offering of the Securities, the Company will not file any
amendment of the Registration Statement or supplement (including the
Final Prospectus or any Preliminary Final Prospectus) to the Basic
Prospectus unless the Company has furnished you a copy for your review
prior to filing and will not file any such proposed amendment or
supplement to which you reasonably object. Subject to the foregoing
sentence, the Company will cause the Final Prospectus, properly
completed, and any supplement thereto to be filed with the Commission
pursuant to the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) within the time
period prescribed and will provide evidence satisfactory to the
Representatives of such timely filing. The Company will promptly
advise the Representatives (i) when the Registration Statement, if not
effective at the Execution Time, and any amendment thereto, shall have
become effective, (ii) when the Final Prospectus, and any supplement
thereto, shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule
424(b), (iii) when, prior to termination of the offering of the
Securities, any amendment to the Registration Statement shall have
been filed or become effective, (iv) of any request by the Commission
for any amendment of the Registration Statement or supplement to the
Final Prospectus or for any additional information, (v) of the
issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the institution or
threatening of any proceeding for that purpose and (vi) of the receipt
by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of
the qualification of the Securities for sale in any jurisdiction or
the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose. The
Company will use its reasonable efforts to prevent the
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issuance of any such stop order and, if issued, to obtain as soon as
possible the withdrawal thereof.
(b) If, at any time when a prospectus relating to the
Securities is required to be delivered under the Act, any event occurs
as a result of which the Final Prospectus as then supplemented would
include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any
material fact necessary to make the statements therein in the light of
the circumstances under which they were made not misleading, or if it
shall be necessary to amend the Registration Statement or supplement
the Final Prospectus to comply with the Act or the Exchange Act or the
respective rules thereunder, the Company promptly will (i) prepare and
file with the Commission, subject to the second sentence of paragraph
(a) of this Section 4, an amendment or supplement which will correct
such statement or omission or effect such compliance and (ii) supply
any supplemented Prospectus to you in such quantities as you may
reasonably request.
(c) As soon as practicable, the Company will make generally
available to its security holders and to the Representatives an
earnings statement or statements of the Company and its subsidiaries
which will satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Act and Rule
158 under the Act.
(d) The Company will furnish to the Representatives and
counsel for the Underwriters, without charge, copies of the
Registration Statement (including exhibits thereto) and, so long as
delivery of a prospectus by an Underwriter or dealer may be required
by the Act, as many copies of any Preliminary Final Prospectus and the
Final Prospectus and any supplement thereto as the Representatives may
reasonably request. The Company will pay the expenses of printing or
other production of all documents relating to the offering.
(e) The Company will arrange for the qualification of the
Securities for sale under the laws of such jurisdictions as the
Representatives may designate and with respect to which the Company
does not reasonably object, will maintain such qualifications in
effect so long as required for the distribution of the Securities and
will arrange for the determination of the legality
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of the Securities for purchase by institutional investors.
(f) Until the business date set forth on Schedule I hereto,
the Company will not, without the consent of the Representatives,
offer, sell or contract to sell, or otherwise dispose of, directly or
indirectly, or announce the offering of, any debt securities issued or
guaranteed by the Company (other than the Securities, commercial paper
borrowings, borrowings under credit facilities in existence on the date
hereof, borrowings from banks that replace indebtedness then
outstanding, or borrowings from banks used to finance working capital
requirements which do not increase consolidated debt by more than 5%,
in each case in the ordinary course of business).
5. CONDITIONS TO THE OBLIGATIONS OF THE UNDERWRITERS. The
obligations of the Underwriters to purchase the Underwriters' Securities shall
be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of
the Company contained herein as of the Execution Time and the Closing Date, to
the accuracy of the statements of the Company made in any certificates pursuant
to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company of its obligations
hereunder and to the following additional conditions:
(a) If the Registration Statement has not become effective
prior to the Execution Time, unless the Representatives agree in
writing to a later time, the Registration Statement will become
effective not later than (i) 6:00 PM New York City time, on the date
of determination of the public offering price, if such determination
occurred at or prior to 3:00 PM New York City time on such date or
(ii) 12:00 Noon on the business day following the day on which the
public offering price was determined, if such determination occurred
after 3:00 PM New York City time on such date; if filing of the Final
Prospectus, or any supplement thereto, is required pursuant to Rule
424(b), the Final Prospectus, and any such supplement, shall have been
filed in the manner and within the time period required by Rule
424(b); and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the
Registration Statement shall have been issued and no proceedings for
that purpose shall have been instituted or threatened.
(b) The Company shall have furnished to the Representatives
the opinion of either C. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, Esq., a Vice President and the
General Counsel of the
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Company or ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, Esq., an Assistant General Counsel of
the Company, dated the Closing Date, to the effect that:
(i) The Company has been duly incorporated and is
validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the
laws of Ohio, with full corporate power and authority to own
its properties and conduct its business as described in the
Final Prospectus, and is duly qualified to do business as a
foreign corporation and is in good standing under the laws of
each jurisdiction which requires such qualification wherein it
owns or leases material properties or conducts material
business;
(ii) the Company's authorized equity capitalization
is as set forth in the Final Prospectus; the Securities
conform to the description thereof contained in the Final
Prospectus; and, if the Securities are to be listed on any
securities exchange, authorization therefor has been given,
subject to official notice of issuance and evidence of
satisfactory distribution, or the Company has filed a
preliminary listing application and all required supporting
documents with respect to the Securities with such securities
exchange and such counsel has no reason to believe that the
Securities will not be authorized for listing, subject to
official notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory
distribution;
(iii) the Indenture has been duly authorized,
executed and delivered, has been duly qualified under the
Trust Indenture Act, and constitutes a legal, valid and
binding instrument enforceable against the Company in
accordance with its terms (subject, as to enforcement of
remedies, to applicable bankruptcy, reorganization,
insolvency, moratorium, fraudulent conveyance and other laws
now or hereinafter in effect relating to, affecting or
limiting creditors' rights generally, and subject to general
principles of equity (whether considered in a proceeding at
law or in equity) and to the discretion of the court before
which any proceeding may be brought); and the Securities have
been duly authorized and, when executed and authenticated in
accordance with the
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provisions of the Indenture and delivered to and paid for by
the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, in the case of
the Underwriters' Securities, or by the purchasers thereof
pursuant to Delayed Delivery Contracts, in the case of any
Contract Securities, will constitute legal, valid and binding
obligations of the Company entitled to the benefits of the
Indenture, subject to general principles of equity (whether
considered in a proceeding at law or in equity) and to the
discretion of the court before which any proceeding may be
brought;
(iv) to the best knowledge of such counsel, there is
no pending or threatened action, suit or proceeding before any
court or governmental agency, authority or body or any
arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries,
of a character required to be disclosed in the Registration
Statement which is not disclosed in the Registration
Statement, and, to the knowledge of such counsel, there is no
franchise, contract or other document of a character required
to be described in the Registration Statement or Final
Prospectus, or to be filed as an exhibit, which is not
described or filed as required; and, to the knowledge of such
counsel, the descriptions of the legal proceedings and
material contracts included in the Final Prospectus are
accurate in all material respects;
(v) the Registration Statement has become effective
under the Act; any required filing of the Basic Prospectus,
any Preliminary Final Prospectus and the Final Prospectus, and
any supplements thereto, pursuant to Rule 424(b) has been made
in the manner and within the time period required by Rule
424(b); to the best knowledge of such counsel, no stop order
suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has
been issued, no proceedings for that purpose have been
instituted or threatened, and the Registration Statement and
the Final Prospectus (other than the financial statements and
other financial and statistical information contained therein
as to which such counsel need express no opinion) comply as to
form in all material respects with the
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applicable requirements of the Act, the Exchange Act and the
Trust Indenture Act and the respective rules thereunder; and
such counsel has no reason to believe that at the Effective
Date the Registration Statement contained any untrue statement
of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under
which they were made, not misleading or that the Final
Prospectus includes any untrue statement of a material fact or
omits to state a material fact necessary to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under
which they were made, not misleading;
(vi) this Agreement and any Delayed Delivery
Contracts have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by
the Company;
(vii) no consent, approval, authorization or order of
any court or governmental agency or body is required to be
obtained by the Company for the consummation by the Company of
the transactions contemplated herein or in any Delayed
Delivery Contracts, except (i) such as have been obtained
under the Act, (ii) such as may be required under the blue sky
laws of any jurisdiction in connection with the purchase and
distribution of the Securities by the Underwriters, and (iii)
such other approvals (as may be specified in such opinion) as
have been obtained;
(viii) neither the execution and delivery of the
Indenture, the issue and sale of the Securities, nor the
consummation of any other of the transactions herein
contemplated nor the fulfillment of the terms hereof or of any
Delayed Delivery Contracts will conflict with, result in a
breach or violation of, or constitute a default under any law
or the charter or by-laws of the Company or the terms of any
indenture or other agreement or instrument known to such
counsel and to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is
a party or bound or any judgment, order or decree known to
such counsel to be applicable to the Company or any of its
subsidiaries of any court, regulatory body, administrative
agency, governmental body or
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arbitrator having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its
subsidiaries; and
(ix) no holders of securities of the Company have
rights to the registration of such securities under the
Registration Statement.
The foregoing opinion may be subject to certain assumptions,
qualifications and exceptions reasonably satisfactory to the
Representatives, and in rendering such opinion, such counsel may rely
(A) as to matters involving the application of laws of any
jurisdiction other than the State of Ohio or the United States, to the
extent deemed proper and specified in such opinion, upon the opinion
of other counsel of good standing believed to be reliable and who are
satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters (or, on the assumption
that, although contrary to the intent of the parties, the laws of the
State of Ohio are to govern) and (B) as to matters of fact, to the
extent deemed proper, on certificates of responsible officers of the
Company and public officials. References to the Final Prospectus in
this paragraph (b) include any supplements thereto at the Closing
Date.
(c) The Representatives shall have received from Cravath,
Swaine & ▇▇▇▇▇, counsel for the Underwriters, such opinion or
opinions, dated the Closing Date, with respect to the issuance and
sale of the Securities, the Indenture, any Delayed Delivery Contracts,
the Registration Statement, the Final Prospectus (together with any
supplement thereto) and other related matters as the Representatives
may reasonably require, and the Company shall have furnished to such
counsel such documents as they request for the purpose of enabling
them to pass upon such matters.
(d) The Company shall have furnished to the Representatives a
certificate of the Company, signed by the Chairman of the Board or the
President and the principal financial or accounting officer of the
Company, dated the Closing Date, to the effect that the signers of
such certificate have carefully examined the Registration Statement,
the Final Prospectus, any
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supplement to the Final Prospectus and this Agreement and that:
(i) the representations and warranties of the Company
in this Agreement are true and correct in all material
respects on and as of the Closing Date with the same effect as
if made on the Closing Date and the Company has complied with
all the agreements and satisfied all the conditions on its
part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to the Closing
Date;
(ii) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of
the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings
for that purpose have been instituted or, to the Company's
knowledge, threatened; and
(iii) since the date of the most recent financial
statements included in the Final Prospectus (exclusive of any
supplement thereto), there has been no material adverse change
in the condition (financial or other), earnings, business or
properties of the Company and its subsidiaries, whether or not
arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business,
except as set forth in or contemplated in the Final Prospectus
(exclusive of any supplement thereto).
(e) At the Closing Date, Price Waterhouse LLP shall have
furnished to the Representatives a letter or letters (which may refer
to letters previously delivered to one or more of the
Representatives), dated as of the Closing Date, in form and substance
satisfactory to the Representatives, confirming that they are
independent accountants with respect to The Goodyear Tire & Rubber
Company within the meaning of the Act and the Exchange Act and the
respective applicable published rules and regulations thereunder and
that they have performed a review of the unaudited interim financial
information in accordance with Statement of Auditing Standards No. 71
and stating in effect that:
(i) in their opinion the audited financial statements
and financial statement schedules and pro forma financial
statements included or incorporated in the Registration
Statement and the
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Final Prospectus and reported on by them comply as to form in
all material respects with the applicable accounting
requirements of the Act and the Exchange Act and the related
published rules and regulations;
(ii) on the basis of a reading of the latest
unaudited financial statements made available by the Company
and its subsidiaries; their limited review in accordance with
standards established by the American Institute of Certified
Public Accountants under Statement of Auditing Standards No.
71 of any unaudited interim financial information as indicated
in their reports, if any, included or incorporated in the
Registration Statement and the Final Prospectus; carrying out
certain specified procedures (but not an examination in
accordance with generally accepted auditing standards) which
would not necessarily reveal matters of significance with
respect to the comments set forth in such letter; a reading of
the minutes of the meetings of the stockholders, directors and
any committees of the Company and its subsidiaries the
Representatives may reasonably request; and inquiries of
certain officials of the Company and its subsidiaries who have
responsibility for financial and accounting matters of the
Company and its subsidiaries as to transactions and events
subsequent to the date of the most recent audited financial
statements included or incorporated in the Final Prospectus,
nothing came to their attention which caused them to believe
that:
(1) any unaudited financial statements
included or incorporated in the Registration
Statement and the Final Prospectus do not comply as
to form in all material respects with applicable
accounting requirements of the Act and with the
published rules and regulations of the Commission
with respect to financial statements included or
incorporated in quarterly reports on Form 10-Q under
the Exchange Act; and said unaudited financial
statements require modifications that should be made
for such statements to be in conformity with
generally accepted accounting principles applied on a
basis substantially
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consistent with that of the audited financial
statements included or incorporated in the
Registration Statement and the Final Prospectus;
(2) with respect to the period subsequent to
the date of the most recent financial statements
(other than any capsule information), audited or
unaudited, included or incorporated in the
Registration Statement and the Final Prospectus,
there were any changes, at a specified date not more
than five business days prior to the date of the
letter, in the long term debt and capital leases of
the Company and its subsidiaries or capital stock or
capital surplus of the Company or decreases in the
shareholders' equity of the Company or decreases in
working capital of the Company and its subsidiaries
as compared with the amounts shown on the most recent
consolidated balance sheet included or incorporated
in the Registration Statement and the Final
Prospectus, or for the period from the date of the
most recent financial statements included or
incorporated in the Registration Statement and the
Final Prospectus to such specified date there were
any decreases, as compared with the corresponding
period in the preceding year or the preceding quarter
in net sales or income before income taxes or in
total or per share amounts of net income of the
Company and its subsidiaries, except in all instances
for changes or decreases set forth in such letter, in
which case the letter shall be accompanied by an
explanation by the Company as to the significance
thereof unless said explanation is not deemed
necessary by the Representatives;
(3) the amounts included in any unaudited
"capsule" information included or incorporated in the
Registration Statement and the Final Prospectus do
not agree with the amounts set forth in the unaudited
financial statements for the same periods or were not
determined on a basis substantially consistent with
that of the corresponding
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18
amounts in the audited financial statements included
or incorporated in the Registration Statement
and the Final Prospectus; or
(4) the information included in the
Registration Statement and Final Prospectus in
response to Regulation S- K, Item 301 (Selected
Financial Data), Item 302 (Supplementary Financial
Information), Item 402 (Executive Compensation), and
Item 503 (Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges) is not
in conformity with the applicable disclosure
requirements of Regulation S-K;
(iii) they have performed certain other specified
procedures as a result of which they determined that certain
information of an accounting, financial or statistical nature
(which is limited to accounting, financial or statistical
information derived from the general accounting records of the
Company and its subsidiaries) set forth in the Registration
Statement and the Final Prospectus and in Exhibit 12 to the
Registration Statement, including the information included or
incorporated in Items 1, 6 and 7 of the Company's Annual
Report on Form 10-K, incorporated in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus, and the information included in
the "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations" included or incorporated
in the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, incorporated
in the Registration Statement and the Final Prospectus, agrees
with the accounting records of the Company and its
subsidiaries, excluding any questions of legal interpretation;
and
(iv) if unaudited pro forma financial statements are
included or incorporated in the Registration Statement and the
Final Prospectus, on the basis of a reading of the unaudited
pro forma financial statements, carrying out certain specified
procedures, inquiries of certain officials of the Company and
the acquired company who have responsibility for financial and
accounting matters, and proving the arithmetic accuracy of
the application of the pro forma adjustments to the historical
amounts in the pro
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19
forma financial statements, nothing came to their attention
which caused them to believe that the pro forma financial
statements do not comply in form in all material respects with
the applicable accounting requirements of Rule 11-02 of
Regulation S-X or that the pro forma adjustments have not been
properly applied to the historical amounts in the compilation
of such statements.
References to the Final Prospectus in this paragraph (e)
include any supplement thereto at the date of the letter.
In addition, except as provided in Schedule I hereto, at the
Execution Time, Price Waterhouse LLP shall have furnished to the
Representatives a letter or letters, dated as of the Execution Time, in form
and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, to the effect set forth
above.
(f) Subsequent to the Execution Time or, if earlier, the
dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement
(exclusive of any amendment thereof) and the Final Prospectus
(exclusive of any supplement thereto), there shall not have been (i)
any change or decrease specified in the letter or letters referred to
in paragraph (e) of this Section 5 or (ii) any change, or any
development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the
condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, business or
properties of the Company and its subsidiaries the effect of which, in
any case referred to in clause (i) or (ii) above, is, in the judgment
of the Representatives, so material and adverse as to make it
impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the offering or delivery of
the Securities as contemplated by the Registration Statement
(exclusive of any amendment thereof) and the Final Prospectus
(exclusive of any supplement thereto).
(g) Subsequent to the Execution Time, there shall not have
been any decrease in the rating of any of the Company's debt
securities by any "nationally recognized statistical rating
organization" (as defined for purposes of Rule 436(g) under the Act)
or any notice given of any intended or potential decrease in any such
rating or of a possible change in any such rating that does not
indicate the direction of the possible change.
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20
(h) Prior to the Closing Date, the Company shall have
furnished to the Representatives such further information,
certificates and documents as the Representatives may reasonably
request and as may be obtained at a reasonable cost to the Company.
(i) The Company shall have accepted Delayed Delivery
Contracts in any case where sales of Contract Securities arranged by
the Underwriters have been approved by the Company.
If any of the conditions specified in this Section 5 shall not
have been fulfilled in all material respects when and as provided in this
Agreement, or if any of the opinions and certificates mentioned above or
elsewhere in this Agreement shall not be in all material respects reasonably
satisfactory in form and substance to the Representatives and counsel for the
Underwriters, this Agreement and all obligations of the Underwriters hereunder
may be canceled at, or at any time prior to, the Closing Date by the
Representatives. Notice of such cancellation shall be given to the Company in
writing or by telephone or telegraph confirmed in writing.
The documents required to be delivered by this Section 5 shall
be delivered at the office of Cravath, Swaine & ▇▇▇▇▇, counsel for the
Underwriters, at Worldwide Plaza, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇ the
Closing Date.
6. REIMBURSEMENT OF UNDERWRITERS' EXPENSES. If the sale of
the Securities provided for herein is not consummated because any condition to
the obligations of the Underwriters set forth in Section 5 hereof is not
satisfied, because of any termination pursuant to Section 9 hereof or because
of any refusal, inability or failure on the part of the Company to perform any
agreement herein or comply with any provision hereof other than by reason of a
default by any of the Underwriters, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters
severally upon demand for all out-of-pocket expenses (including reasonable fees
and disbursements of counsel) that shall have been incurred by them in
connection with the proposed purchase and sale of the Securities.
7. INDEMNIFICATION AND CONTRIBUTION. (a) The Company agrees
to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, the directors, officers,
employees and agents of each Underwriter and each person who controls any
Underwrit-
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21
er within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act against any and all
losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which they or any
of them may become subject under the Act, the Exchange Act or other Federal or
state statutory law or regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such
losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise
out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a
material fact contained or incorporated by reference to other documents in the
registration statement for the registration of the Securities as originally
filed or in any amendment thereof, or in the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary
Final Prospectus or the Final Prospectus, or in any amendment thereof or
supplement thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged
omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and agrees to
reimburse each such indemnified party, as incurred, for any legal or other
expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating or
defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action; PROVIDED, HOWEVER,
that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any
such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon any such
untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission
made therein in reliance upon and in conformity with written information
furnished to the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the
Representatives specifically for inclusion therein. This indemnity agreement
will be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have.
(b) Each Underwriter severally agrees to indemnify and hold
harmless the Company, each of its directors, each of its officers who signs the
Registration Statement, and each person who controls the Company within the
meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act, to the same extent as the
foregoing indemnity from the Company to each Underwriter, but only with
reference to written information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the
Company by or on behalf of such Underwriter through the Representatives
specifically for inclusion in the documents referred to in the foregoing
indemnity. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability which
any Underwriter may otherwise have. The Company acknowledges that the
statements set forth in (i) the last paragraph of the cover page of the Final
Prospectus, (ii) in the second and third paragraphs under the heading
"Underwriting" and (iii) in the
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22
sixth paragraph under the heading "Plan of Distribution" in any Preliminary
Final Prospectus or the Final Prospectus constitute the only information
furnished in writing by or on behalf of the several Underwriters for inclusion
in the documents referred to in the foregoing indemnity, and you, as the
Representatives, confirm that such statements are correct.
(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this
Section 7 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party
will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying
party under this Section 7, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the
commencement thereof; but the failure so to notify the indemnifying party (i)
will not relieve it from liability under paragraph (a) or (b) above unless and
to the extent it did not otherwise learn of such action and such failure
results in the forfeiture by the indemnifying party of substantial rights and
defenses and (ii) will not, in any event, relieve the indemnifying party from
any obligations to any indemnified party other than the indemnification
obligation provided in paragraph (a) or (b) above. The indemnifying party
shall be entitled to appoint counsel of the indemnifying party's choice at the
indemnifying party's expense to represent the indemnified party in any action
for which indemnification is sought (in which case the indemnifying party shall
not thereafter be responsible for the fees and expenses of any separate counsel
retained by the indemnified party or parties except as set forth below);
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that such counsel shall be satisfactory to the indemnified
party. Notwithstanding the indemnifying party's election to appoint counsel to
represent the indemnified party in an action, the indemnified party shall have
the right to employ separate counsel (including local counsel), and the
indemnifying party shall bear the reasonable fees, costs and expenses of such
separate counsel if (i) the use of counsel chosen by the indemnifying party to
represent the indemnified party would present such counsel with a conflict of
interest, (ii) the actual or potential defendants in, or targets of, any such
action include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the
indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal
defenses available to it and/or other indemnified parties which are different
from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, (iii) the
indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel satisfactory to the
indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time
after notice of the institution of such
23
23
action or (iv) the indemnifying party shall authorize the indemnified party to
employ separate counsel at the expense of the indemnifying party.
(d) In the event that the indemnity provided in paragraph (a)
or (b) of this Section 7 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an
indemnified party for any reason, the Company and the Underwriters agree to
contribute to the aggregate losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including
legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with investigating or
defending same) (collectively "Losses") to which the Company and one or more of
the Underwriters may be subject in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect
the relative benefits received by the Company and by the Underwriters from the
offering of the Securities; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that in no case shall any
Underwriter (except as may be provided in any agreement among underwriters
relating to the offering of the Securities) be responsible for any amount in
excess of the underwriting discount or commission applicable to the Securities
purchased by such Underwriter hereunder. If the allocation provided by the
immediately preceding sentence is unavailable for any reason, the Company and
the Underwriters shall contribute in such proportion as is appropriate to
reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the
Company and of the Underwriters in connection with the statements or omissions
which resulted in such Losses as well as any other relevant equitable
considerations. Benefits received by the Company shall be deemed to be equal
to the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses), and
benefits received by the Underwriters shall be deemed to be equal to the total
underwriting discounts and commissions, in each case as set forth on the cover
page of the Final Prospectus. Relative fault shall be determined by reference
to whether any alleged untrue statement or omission relates to information
provided by the Company or the Underwriters. The Company and the Underwriters
agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution were determined
by pro rata allocation or any other method of allocation which does not take
account of the equitable considerations referred to above. Notwithstanding the
provisions of this paragraph (d), no person guilty of fraudulent
misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be
entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent
misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 7, each person who controls an
Underwriter within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act and each
director,
24
24
officer, employee and agent of an Underwriter shall have the same rights to
contribution as such Underwriter, and each person who controls the Company
within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act, each officer of the
Company who shall have signed the Registration Statement and each director of
the Company shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company, subject
in each case to the applicable terms and conditions of this paragraph (d).
8. DEFAULT BY AN UNDERWRITER. If any one or more
Underwriters shall fail to purchase and pay for any of the Securities agreed to
be purchased by such Underwriter or Underwriters hereunder and such failure to
purchase shall constitute a default in the performance of its or their
obligations under this Agreement, the remaining Underwriters shall be obligated
severally to take up and pay for (in the respective proportions which the
amount of Securities set forth opposite their names in Schedule II hereto bears
to the aggregate amount of Securities set forth opposite the names of all the
remaining Underwriters) the Securities which the defaulting Underwriter or
Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that in the
event that the aggregate amount of Securities which the defaulting Underwriter
or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase shall exceed 10% of the aggregate
amount of Securities set forth in Schedule II hereto, the remaining
Underwriters shall have the right to purchase all, but shall not be under any
obligation to purchase any, of the Securities, and if such nondefaulting
Underwriters do not purchase all the Securities, this Agreement will terminate
without liability to any nondefaulting Underwriter or the Company. In the
event of a default by any Underwriter as set forth in this Section 8, the
Closing Date shall be postponed for such period, not exceeding seven days, as
the Representatives shall determine in order that the required changes in the
Registration Statement and the Final Prospectus or in any other documents or
arrangements may be effected. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall
relieve any defaulting Underwriter of its liability, if any, to the Company and
any nondefaulting Underwriter for damages occasioned by its default hereunder.
9. TERMINATION. This Agreement shall be subject to
termination in the absolute discretion of the Representatives, by notice given
to the Company prior to delivery of and payment for the Securities, if prior to
such time (i) trading in the Company's Common Stock shall have been suspended
by the Commission or the New York Stock
25
25
Exchange, The Chicago Stock Exchange, Incorporated or The Pacific Stock
Exchange, Incorporated or trading in securities generally on the New York Stock
Exchange, the American Stock Exchange or the National Association of Securities
Dealers Automated Quotation National Market System shall have been suspended or
limited or minimum prices shall have been established on either of such
Exchanges or Market System, (ii) a banking moratorium shall have been declared
either by Federal or New York State authorities or (iii) there shall have
occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities, declaration by the United
States of a national emergency or war or other calamity or crisis or change in
general economic, political or financial conditions the effect of which on
financial markets is such as to make it, in the judgment of the
Representatives, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering or
delivery of the Securities as contemplated by the Final Prospectus (exclusive
of any supplement thereto).
10. REPRESENTATIONS AND INDEMNITIES TO SURVIVE. The
respective agreements, representations, warranties, indemnities and other
statements of the Company or its officers and of the Underwriters set forth in
or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect,
regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or the
Company or any of the officers, directors or controlling persons referred to in
Section 7 hereof, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Securities.
The provisions of Sections 6 and 7 hereof shall survive the termination or
cancellation of this Agreement.
11. NOTICES. All communications hereunder will be in writing
and effective only on receipt, and, if sent to the Representatives, will be
mailed, delivered or telegraphed and confirmed to them, at the address
specified in Schedule I hereto; or, if sent to the Company, will be mailed,
delivered or telegraphed and confirmed to it at ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇,
▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇, facsimile number ▇▇▇-▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇, attention of the Vice President
and General Counsel.
12. SUCCESSORS. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of
and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the
officers and directors and controlling persons referred to in Section 7 hereof,
and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder.
13. APPLICABLE LAW. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE
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26
GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
14. COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed in any
number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but
all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument.
15. HEADINGS. The headings herein are inserted for
convenience of reference only and are not intended to be part of, or to affect
the meaning or interpretation of, this Agreement.
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of
our agreement, please sign and return to us the enclosed duplicate hereof,
whereupon this letter and your acceptance shall represent a binding agreement
among the Company and the several Underwriters.
Very truly yours,
THE GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER
COMPANY
Attest: By:
________________________________ ________________________________
Name: Name:
Title: Title:
The foregoing Agreement is
hereby confirmed and accepted
as of the date specified in
Schedule I hereto.
By:
By:
_____________________
Name:
Title:
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27
For themselves and the other
several Underwriters, if any,
named in Schedule II to the
foregoing Agreement.
28
SCHEDULE I
Underwriting Agreement dated:
Registration Statement No.:
Representative(s):
Title, Purchase Price, Offering Price and Description of Securities:
Title:
Principal amount:
Interest Rate:
Interest Payment Dates:
Maturity:
Purchase price (include accrued
interest or amortization, if
any):
Offering Price:
Sinking fund provisions:
Redemption provisions:
Other provisions:
Funds for, and Method of, Payment of Purchase Price:
Closing Date, Time and Location:
Type of Offering: [Delayed Offering or Non-Delayed Offering]
Delayed Delivery Arrangements:
Fee:
29
2
Minimum principal amount of each contract:
Maximum aggregate principal amount of all contracts:
Date referred to in Section 4(f) after which the Company may offer or sell
debt securities issued or guaranteed by the Company without the consent of
the Representative(s):
Modification of items to be covered by the letter from
Price Waterhouse LLP delivered pursuant to
Section 5(e) at the Execution Time:
30
SCHEDULE II
Underwriters Principal Amount
------------ of Securities to
be Purchased
------------------
$
$
____________________
Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $
====================
31
SCHEDULE III
Delayed Delivery Contract
, 19
[Insert name and address
of lead Representative]
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:
The undersigned hereby agrees to purchase from
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (the "Company"), and the Company agrees to
sell to the undersigned, on , 19 , (the "Delivery Date"), $
principal amount of the Company's (the
"Securities") offered by the Company's Prospectus dated
, 19 , and related Prospectus Supplement dated , 19 ,
receipt of a copy of which is hereby acknowledged, at a purchase price of %
of the principal amount thereof, plus [accrued interest] [amortization of
original issue discount], if any, thereon from , 19 , to the date of
payment and delivery, and on the further terms and conditions set forth in
this contract.
Payment for the Securities to be purchased by the undersigned
shall be made on or before 11:00 AM, New York City time, on the Delivery Date
to or upon the order of the Company in New York Clearing House (next day)
funds, at your office or at such other place as shall be agreed between the
Company and the undersigned, upon delivery to the undersigned of the Securities
in definitive fully registered form and in such authorized denominations and
registered in such names as the undersigned may request by written or
telegraphic communication addressed to the Company not less than five full
business days prior to the Delivery Date. If no request is received, the
Securities will be registered in the name of the undersigned and issued in a
denomination equal to the aggregate principal amount of Securities to be
purchased by the undersigned on the Delivery Date.
32
2
The obligation of the undersigned to take delivery of and make
payment for Securities on the Delivery Date, and the obligation of the Company
to sell and deliver Securities on the Delivery Date, shall be subject to the
conditions (and neither party shall incur any liability by reason of the
failure thereof) that (1) the purchase of Securities to be made by the
undersigned, which purchase the undersigned represents is not prohibited on the
date hereof, shall not on the Delivery Date be prohibited under the laws of the
jurisdiction to which the undersigned is subject, and (2) the Company, on or
before the Delivery Date, shall have sold to certain underwriters (the
"Underwriters") such principal amount of the Securities as is to be sold to
them pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement referred to in the Prospectus and
Prospectus Supplement mentioned above. Promptly after completion of such sale
to the Underwriters, the Company will mail or deliver to the undersigned at its
address set forth below notice to such effect, accompanied by a copy of the
opinion of counsel for the Company delivered to the Underwriters in connection
therewith. The obligation of the undersigned to take delivery of and make
payment for the Securities, and the obligation of the Company to cause the
Securities to be sold and delivered, shall not be affected by the failure of
any purchaser to take delivery of and make payment for the Securities pursuant
to other contracts similar to this contract.
This contract will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon
the parties hereto and their respective successors, but will not be assignable
by either party hereto without the written consent of the other.
It is understood that acceptance of this contract and other
similar contracts is in the Company's sole discretion and, without limiting the
foregoing, need not be on a first come, first served basis. If this contract
is acceptable to the Company, it is required that the Company sign the form of
acceptance below and mail or deliver one of the counterparts hereof to the
undersigned at its address set forth below. This will become a binding
contract between the Company and the undersigned, as of the date
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3
first above written, when such counterpart is so mailed or delivered.
This agreement shall be governed by and construed in
accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
Very truly yours,
____________________________
(Name of Purchaser)
By
____________________________
(Signature and Title of
Officer)
_____________________________
(Address)
Accepted:
The Goodyear Tire &
Rubber Company,
By
_______________________
(Authorized Signature)
