REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
THIS REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT, dated as of December 10, 1998
(this "Agreement"), is made by and between ROCKY MOUNTAIN INTERNET, INC., a
Delaware corporation (the "Company"), and the person named on the signature page
hereto (the "Initial Investor").
W I T N E S E T H:
WHEREAS, in connection with the letter agreement, dated as of October
28, 1998, between Xxxxxxx Capital Partners Ltd. and the Company (the "Letter
Agreement"), the Company has agreed to issue to the Initial Investor common
stock purchase warrants (the "Warrants") to purchase shares (the "Warrant
Shares") of Common Stock, $.001 par value (the "Common Stock"), of the Company;
and
WHEREAS, in accordance with the Letter Agreement, the Company has
agreed to provide certain registration rights under the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder, or any similar successor
statute (collectively, the "Securities Act"), and applicable state securities
laws with respect to the Warrant Shares;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual
covenants contained herein and other good and valuable consideration, the
receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Company and the
Initial Investor hereby agree as follows:
1. DEFINITIONS.
(a) As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the
following meanings:
"Exchange Act" means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
"Investor" or "Investors" means the Initial Investor and any
transferee or assignee who agrees to become bound by the provisions of this
Agreement in accordance with Section 9 hereof.
"Majority Holders" means those persons who hold a majority of the
shares of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock of the Company which are then
outstanding, including such shares originally issued pursuant to the
Subscription Agreements, or, if no such shares are outstanding, those persons
who hold or have the right to acquire a
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majority of the Registrable Securities issued or issuable upon exercise of the
Warrants.
"Nasdaq" means the Nasdaq SmallCap Market.
"Permitted Transferee" means any person (1) who is an "accredited
investor" as defined in Regulation D under the Securities Act and (2) who,
immediately following the assignment of rights under this Agreement holds (x)
Warrants to purchase at least 10,000 shares of Common Stock or (y) shares of
Common Stock issued upon exercise of Warrants which are equal to, at least
10,000 (subject to equitable adjustment from time to time on terms reasonably
acceptable to the Investors for (i) stock splits, (ii) stock dividends, (iii)
combinations, (iv) capital reorganizations, (v) issuance to all holders of
Common Stock of rights or warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock and (vi)
similar events relating to the Common Stock, in each such case which occur on or
after the Closing Date) shares of Common Stock, or any combination thereof.
"register," "registered," and "registration" refer to a registration
effected by preparing and filing a Registration Statement or Statements in
compliance with the Securities Act and pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities
Act or any successor rule providing for offering securities on a continuous
basis ("Rule 415"), and the declaration or ordering of effectiveness of such
Registration Statement by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission
(the "SEC").
"Registrable Securities" means the Warrant Shares. As to any
particular securities, such securities shall cease to be Registrable Securities
when they have been sold pursuant to an effective registration statement or in
compliance with Rule 144 or are eligible to be sold pursuant to subsection (k)
of Rule 144.
"Registration Period" means the period from the Closing Date to the
earliest of (i) the date which is three years after the SEC Effective Date, (ii)
the date on which each Investor may sell all of its Registrable Securities
without registration under the Securities Act pursuant to subsection (k) of Rule
144, without restriction on the manner of sale or the volume of securities which
may be sold in any period and without the requirement for the giving of any
notice to, or the making of any filing with, the SEC and (iii) the date on which
the Investors no longer beneficially own any Registrable Securities.
"Registration Statement" means a registration statement of the Company
under the Securities Act, including any amendment thereto.
"Rule 144" means Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act or any
other similar rule or regulation of the SEC that may at any time permit a holder
of any securities to sell securities of the Company to the public without
registration under the
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Securities Act.
"SEC Effective Date" means the date the Registration Statement is
declared effective by the SEC.
"SEC Filing Date" means the date the Registration Statement is first
filed with the SEC pursuant to Section 2(a).
"Subscription Agreements" means the respective Subscription
Agreements, dated as of the date hereof, between the Company and Advantage Fund
II Ltd. and Xxxx Industries, Inc.
(b) Capitalized terms defined in the introductory paragraph or the
recitals to this Agreement shall have the respective meanings therein provided.
Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined herein shall have the
respective meanings set forth in the Subscription Agreements.
2. REGISTRATION.
(a) MANDATORY REGISTRATION. (1) The Company shall prepare, and on or
prior to January 29, 1999, file with the SEC a Registration Statement on Form
S-3 which, on the date of filing with the SEC, covers the resale by the Initial
Investor of a number of shares of Common Stock at least equal to the number of
Warrant Shares (determined without regard to the limitations on beneficial
ownership contained in Section 1.1(b) of the Warrants). If at any time the
number of shares of Common Stock included in the Registration Statement required
to be filed as provided in the first sentence of this Section 2(a) shall be
insufficient to cover the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of the
unexercised portion of the Warrants, then promptly, but in no event later than
20 days after such insufficiency shall occur, the Company shall file with the
SEC an additional Registration Statement on Form S-3 (which shall not constitute
a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement filed pursuant to the
first sentence of this Section 2(a)), covering such number of shares of Common
Stock as shall be sufficient to permit such conversion and exercise. For all
purposes of this Agreement such additional Registration Statement shall be
deemed to be the Registration Statement required to be filed by the Company
pursuant to Section 2(a) of this Agreement, and the Company and the Investors
shall have the same rights and obligations with respect to such additional
Registration Statement as they shall have with respect to the initial
Registration Statement required to be filed by the Company pursuant to this
Section 2(a). The Registration Statement shall not include securities to be
sold for the account of any selling security holder other than (i) the Investors
and the holder of the other Warrants issued pursuant to the Letter Agreement,
(ii) holders of warrants to purchase 10,000 shares of Common Stock to be
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initially issued to an investment banking firm or its designees, (iii) the
investors contemplated by the registration rights agreements entered ino by the
Company in connection with the Subscription Agreements and (iv) 60,000 shares of
Common Stock to be issued in connection with a software license agreement.
(2) Prior to the SEC Effective Date or during any time subsequent to
the SEC Effective Date when the Registration Statement for any reason is not
available for use by any Investor for the resale of any of Registrable
Securities, the Company shall not file any other registration statement or any
amendment thereto with the SEC under the 1933 Act or request the acceleration of
the effectiveness of any other registration statement previously filed with the
SEC, other than any registration statement on Form S-4 or Form S-8.
(b) CERTAIN OFFERINGS. If any offering pursuant to a Registration
Statement pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof involves an underwritten offering,
Investors who hold a majority in interest of the Registrable Securities subject
to such underwritten offering shall have the right to select one legal counsel
and an investment banker or bankers and manager or managers to administer the
offering, which investment banker or bankers or manager or managers shall be
reasonably satisfactory to the Company. The Investors who hold the Registrable
Securities to be included in such underwriting shall pay all underwriting
discounts and commissions and other fees and expenses of such investment banker
or bankers and manager or managers so selected in accordance with this Section
2(b) (other than fees and expenses relating to registration of Registrable
Securities under federal or state securities laws, which are payable by the
Company pursuant to Section 5 hereof) with respect to their Registrable
Securities and the fees and expenses of such legal counsel so selected by the
Investors.
(c) PIGGY-BACK REGISTRATIONS. If at any time the Company shall
determine to prepare and file with the SEC a Registration Statement relating to
an offering for its own account or the account of others under the Securities
Act of any of its equity securities, other than on Form S-4 or Form S-8 or their
then equivalents relating to equity securities to be issued solely in connection
with any acquisition of any entity or business or equity securities issuable in
connection with stock option or other employee benefit plans, the Company shall
send to each Investor who is entitled to registration rights under this Section
2(c) written notice of such determination and, if within ten (10) days after
receipt of such notice, such Investor shall so request in writing, the Company
shall include in such Registration Statement all or any part of the Registrable
Securities such Investor requests to be registered, except that if, in
connection with any underwritten public offering for the account of the Company,
the managing underwriter(s) thereof shall impose a limitation on the number of
shares of Common Stock which may be included in the Registration Statement
because, in such underwriter(s)' judgment, such limitation is
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necessary to effect an orderly public distribution, then the Company shall be
obligated to include in such Registration Statement only such limited portion of
the Registrable Securities with respect to which such Investor has requested
inclusion hereunder. Any exclusion of Registrable Securities shall be made pro
rata among the Investors seeking to include Registrable Securities, in
proportion to the number of Registrable Securities sought to be included by such
Investors; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the Company shall not exclude any Registrable
Securities unless the Company has first excluded all outstanding securities the
holders of which are not entitled by right to inclusion of securities in such
Registration Statement; and PROVIDED FURTHER, HOWEVER, that, after giving effect
to the immediately preceding proviso, any exclusion of Registrable Securities
shall be made pro rata with holders of other securities having the right to
include such securities in the Registration Statement, based on the number of
securities for which registration is requested except to the extent such pro
rata exclusion of such other securities is prohibited under any written
agreement entered into by the Company with the holder of such other securities
prior to the date of this Agreement, in which case such other securities shall
be excluded, if at all, in accordance with the terms of such agreement. No
right to registration of Registrable Securities under this Section 2(c) shall be
construed to limit any registration required under Section 2(a) hereof. The
obligations of the Company under this Section 2(c) may be waived by Investors
holding a majority in interest of the Registrable Securities and shall expire
after the Company has afforded the opportunity for the Investors to exercise
registration rights under this Section 2(c) for two registrations; PROVIDED,
HOWEVER, that any Investor who shall have had any Registrable Securities
excluded from any Registration Statement in accordance with this Section 2(c)
shall be entitled to include in an additional Registration Statement filed by
the Company the Registrable Securities so excluded. Notwithstanding any other
provision of this Agreement, if the Registration Statement required to be filed
pursuant to Section 2(a) of this Agreement shall have been ordered effective by
the SEC and the Company shall have maintained the effectiveness of such
Registration Statement as required by this Agreement and if the Company shall
otherwise have complied in all material respects with its obligations under this
Agreement, then the Company shall not be obligated to register any Registrable
Securities on such Registration Statement referred to in this Section 2(c).
(d) ELIGIBILITY FOR FORM S-3. The Company meets the requirements for
the use of Form S-3 for registration of the Registrable Securities for resale by
the Investors. The Company shall file all reports required to be filed by the
Company with the SEC in a timely manner so as to maintain such eligibility for
the use of Form S-3.
3. OBLIGATIONS OF THE COMPANY. In connection with the registration
of the Registrable Securities, the Company shall:
(a) prepare promptly, and file with the SEC not later than January
29,
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1999, a Registration Statement with respect to the number of Registrable
Securities provided in Section 2(a), and thereafter to use its best efforts to
cause each Registration Statement relating to Registrable Securities to become
effective as soon as possible after such filing, and keep the Registration
Statement effective pursuant to Rule 415 at all times during the Registration
Period; submit to the SEC, within three Business Days after the Company learns
that no review of the Registration Statement will be made by the staff of the
SEC or that the staff of the SEC has no further comments on the Registration
Statement, as the case may be, a request for acceleration of effectiveness of
the Registration Statement to a time and date not later than 48 hours after the
submission of such request; notify the Investors of the effectiveness of the
Registration Statement on the date the Registration Statement is declared
effective; and the Company represents and warrants to, and covenants and agrees
with, the Investors that the Registration Statement (including any amendments or
supplements thereto and prospectuses contained therein), at the time it is first
filed with the SEC, at the time it is ordered effective by the SEC and at all
times during which it is required to be effective hereunder (and each such
amendment and supplement at the time it is filed with the SEC and at all times
during which it is available for use in connection with the offer and sale of
the Registrable Securities) shall not contain any untrue statement of a material
fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein, or
necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances in which
they were made, not misleading;
(b) prepare and file with the SEC such amendments (including
post-effective amendments) and supplements to the Registration Statement and the
prospectus used in connection with the Registration Statement as may be
necessary to keep the Registration Statement effective at all times during the
Registration Period, and, during the Registration Period, comply with the
provisions of the Securities Act with respect to the disposition of all
Registrable Securities of the Company covered by the Registration Statement
until such time as all of such Registrable Securities have been disposed of in
accordance with the intended methods of disposition by the seller or sellers
thereof as set forth in the Registration Statement;
(c) furnish to each Investor whose Registrable Securities are
included in the Registration Statement and its legal counsel, (1) promptly after
the same is prepared and publicly distributed, filed with the SEC or received by
the Company, one copy of the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto,
each preliminary prospectus and prospectus and each amendment or supplement
thereto, each letter written by or on behalf of the Company to the SEC or the
staff of the SEC and each item of correspondence from the SEC or the staff of
the SEC relating to such Registration Statement (other than any portion of any
thereof which contains information for which the Company has sought confidential
treatment) and (2) such number of copies of a prospectus, including a
preliminary prospectus, and all amendments and supplements thereto and such
other
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documents, as such Investor may reasonably request in order to facilitate the
disposition of the Registrable Securities owned by such Investor;
(d) use reasonable efforts to (i) register and qualify the
Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement under such
securities or blue sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Investors who hold a
majority in interest of the Registrable Securities being offered reasonably
request, (ii) prepare and file in those jurisdictions such amendments (including
post-effective amendments) and supplements to such registrations and
qualifications as may be necessary to maintain the effectiveness thereof at all
times until the end of the Registration Period, (iii) take such other actions as
may be necessary to maintain such registrations and qualifications in effect at
all times during the Registration Period and (iv) take all other actions
reasonably necessary or advisable to qualify the Registrable Securities for sale
in such jurisdictions; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the Company shall not be required
in connection therewith or as a condition thereto (I) to qualify to do business
in any jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to qualify but for
this Section 3(d), (II) to subject itself to general taxation in any such
jurisdiction, (III) to file a general consent to service of process in any such
jurisdiction, (IV) to provide any undertakings that cause more than nominal
expense or burden to the Company or (V) to make any change in its Certificate of
Incorporation or by-laws, which in each case the Board of Directors of the
Company determines to be contrary to the best interests of the Company and its
stockholders;
(e) in the event that the Registrable Securities are being offered in
an underwritten offering, enter into and perform its obligations under an
underwriting agreement, in usual and customary form, including, without
limitation, customary indemnification and contribution obligations, with the
underwriters of such offering;
(f) as promptly as practicable after becoming aware of such event or
circumstance, notify each Investor of any event or circumstance of which the
Company has knowledge, as a result of which the prospectus included in the
Registration Statement, as then in effect, includes an untrue statement of a
material fact or omits to state a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under
which they were made, not misleading, and use its best efforts promptly to
prepare a supplement or amendment to the Registration Statement to correct such
untrue statement or omission, file such supplement or amendment with the SEC at
such time as shall permit the Investors to sell Registrable Securities pursuant
to the Registration Statement as promptly as practicable, and deliver a number
of copies of such supplement or amendment to each Investor as such Investor may
reasonably request;
(g) as promptly as practicable after becoming aware of such event,
notify each Investor who holds Registrable Securities being sold (or, in the
event of an
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underwritten offering, the managing underwriters) of the issuance by the SEC of
any stop order or other suspension of effectiveness of the Registration
Statement at the earliest possible time;
(h) permit a single firm of counsel designated as selling
stockholders' counsel by the Investors who hold a majority in interest of the
Registrable Securities being sold to review and comment on the Registration
Statement and all amendments and supplements thereto a reasonable period of time
prior to their filing with the SEC;
(i) make generally available to its security holders as soon as
practical, but not later than ninety (90) days after the close of the period
covered thereby, an earnings statement (in form complying with the provisions of
Rule 158 under the Securities Act) covering a twelve-month period beginning not
later than the first day of the Company's fiscal quarter next following the
effective date of the Registration Statement;
(j) at the request of the Investors who hold a majority in interest
of the Registrable Securities being sold, furnish on the date that Registrable
Securities are delivered to an underwriter, if any, for sale in connection with
the Registration Statement (i) a letter, dated such date, from the Company's
independent certified public accountants in form and substance as is customarily
given by independent certified public accountants to underwriters in an
underwritten public offering, addressed to the underwriters; and (ii) an
opinion, dated such date, from counsel representing the Company for purposes of
such Registration Statement, in form and substance as is customarily given in an
underwritten public offering, addressed to the underwriters and the Investors;
(k) make available for inspection by any Investor, any underwriter
participating in any disposition pursuant to the Registration Statement, and any
attorney, accountant or other agent retained by any such Investor or underwriter
(collectively, the "Inspectors"), all pertinent financial and other records,
pertinent corporate documents and properties of the Company (collectively, the
"Records"), as shall be reasonably necessary to enable each Investor to exercise
its due diligence responsibility, and cause the Company's officers, directors
and employees to supply all information which any Inspector may reasonably
request for purposes of such due diligence; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that each
Inspector shall hold in confidence and shall not make any disclosure (except to
an Investor) of any Record or other information which the Company determines in
good faith to be confidential, and of which determination the Inspectors are so
notified, unless (i) the disclosure of such Records is necessary to avoid or
correct a misstatement or omission in any Registration Statement, (ii) the
release of such Records is ordered pursuant to a subpoena or other order from a
court or government body of competent jurisdiction or (iii) the information in
such Records has been made generally available to the public other than by
disclosure in violation of this or any other agreement. The Company shall not
be
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required to disclose any confidential information in such Records to any
Inspector until and unless such Inspector shall have entered into
confidentiality agreements (in form and substance satisfactory to the Company)
with the Company with respect thereto, substantially in the form of this Section
3(k). Each Investor agrees that it shall, upon learning that disclosure of such
Records is sought in or by a court or governmental body of competent
jurisdiction or through other means, give prompt notice to the Company and allow
the Company, at the Company's own expense, to undertake appropriate action to
prevent disclosure of, or to obtain a protective order for, the Records deemed
confidential. The Company shall hold in confidence and shall not make any
disclosure of information concerning an Investor provided to the Company
pursuant to Section 4(e) hereof unless (i) disclosure of such information is
necessary to comply with federal or state securities laws, (ii) the disclosure
of such information is necessary to avoid or correct a misstatement or omission
in any Registration Statement, (iii) the release of such information is ordered
pursuant to a subpoena or other order from a court or governmental body of
competent jurisdiction or (iv) such information has been made generally
available to the public other han by disclosure in violation of this or, to the
knowledge of the Company, any other agreement. The Company agrees that it
shall, upon learning that disclosure of such information concerning an Investor
is sought in or by a court or governmental body of competent jurisdiction or
through other means, give prompt notice to such Investor and allow such
Investor, at such Investor's own expense, to undertake appropriate action to
prevent disclosure of, or to obtain a protective order for, such information;
(l) use its best efforts (i) to cause all the Registrable Securities
covered by the Registration Statement to be listed on the Nasdaq or such other
principal securities market on which securities of the same class or series
issued by the Company are then listed or traded or (ii) if securities of the
same class or series as the Registrable Securities are not then listed on Nasdaq
or any such other securities market, to cause all of the Registrable Securities
covered by the Registration Statement to be listed on the New York Stock
Exchange, the American Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq National Market;
(m) provide a transfer agent and registrar, which may be a single
entity, for the Registrable Securities not later than the effective date of the
Registration Statement;
(n) cooperate with the Investors who hold Registrable Securities
being offered and the managing underwriter or underwriters, if any, to
facilitate the timely preparation and delivery of certificates (not bearing any
restrictive legends) representing Registrable Securities to be offered pursuant
to the Registration Statement and enable such certificates to be in such
denominations or amounts, as the case may be, as the managing underwriter or
underwriters, if any, or the Investors may
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reasonably request and registered in such names as the managing underwriter or
underwriters, if any, or the Investors may request; and, within three Business
Days after a Registration Statement which includes Registrable Securities is
ordered effective by the SEC, the Company shall deliver to the transfer agent
for the Registrable Securities (with copies to the Investors whose Registrable
Securities are included in such Registration Statement) an instruction
substantially in the form attached hereto as EXHIBIT 1 and shall cause legal
counsel selected by the Company to deliver to the Investors an opinion of such
counsel in the form attached hereto as EXHIBIT 2 (with a copy to the Company's
transfer agent);
(o) during the period the Company is required to maintain
effectiveness of the Registration Statement pursuant to Section 3(a), the
Company shall not bid for or purchase any Common Stock or any right to purchase
Common Stock or attempt to induce any person to purchase any such security or
right if such bid, purchase or attempt would in any way limit the right of the
Investors to sell Registrable Securities by reason of the limitations set forth
in Regulation M under the Exchange Act; and
(p) take all other reasonable actions necessary to expedite and
facilitate disposition by the Investors of the Registrable Securities pursuant
to the Registration Statement.
4. OBLIGATIONS OF THE INVESTORS. In connection with the
registration of the Registrable Securities, the Investors shall have the
following obligations:
(a) It shall be a condition precedent to the obligations of the
Company to complete the registration pursuant to this Agreement with respect to
the Registrable Securities of a particular Investor that such Investor shall
furnish to the Company such information regarding itself, the Registrable
Securities held by it and the intended method of disposition of the Registrable
Securities held by it as shall be reasonably required to effect the registration
of such Registrable Securities and shall execute such documents in connection
with such registration as the Company may reasonably request. At least five
days prior to the first anticipated filing date of the Registration Statement,
the Company shall notify each Investor of the information the Company requires
from each such Investor (the "Requested Information") if any of such Investor's
Registrable Securities are eligible for inclusion in the Registration Statement.
If at least two Business Days prior to the filing date the Company has not
received the Requested Information from an Investor (a "Non-Responsive
Investor"), then the Company may file the Registration Statement without
including Registrable Securities of such Non-Responsive Investor but shall not
be relieved of its obligation to file a Registration Statement with the SEC
relating to the Registrable Securities of such Non-Responsive Investor promptly
after such Non-Responsive Investor provides the Requested Information;
(b) Each Investor by such Investor's acceptance of the Registrable
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Securities agrees to cooperate with the Company as reasonably requested by the
Company in connection with the preparation and filing of the Registration
Statement hereunder, unless such Investor has notified the Company in writing of
such Investor's election to exclude all of such Investor's Registrable
Securities from the Registration Statement;
(c) In the event Investors holding a majority in interest of the
Registrable Securities being registered determine to engage the services of an
underwriter, each Investor agrees to enter into and perform such Investor's
obligations under an underwriting agreement, in usual and customary form,
including, without limitation, customary indemnification and contribution
obligations, with the managing underwriter of such offering and take such other
actions as are reasonably required in order to expedite or facilitate the
disposition of the Registrable Securities, unless such Investor has notified the
Company in writing of such Investor's election to exclude all of such Investor's
Registrable Securities from the Registration Statement;
(d) Each Investor agrees that, upon receipt of any notice from the
Company of the happening of any event of the kind described in Section 3(f) or
3(g), such Investor will immediately discontinue disposition of Registrable
Securities pursuant to the Registration Statement covering such Registrable
Securities until such Investor's receipt of the copies of the supplemented or
amended prospectus contemplated by Section 3(f) or 3(g) and, if so directed by
the Company, such Investor shall deliver to the Company (at the expense of the
Company) or destroy (and deliver to the Company a certificate of destruction)
all copies in such Investor's possession of the prospectus covering such
Registrable Securities current at the time of receipt of such notice;
(e) No Investor may participate in any underwritten registration
hereunder unless such Investor (i) agrees to sell such Investor's Registrable
Securities on the basis provided in any underwriting arrangements approved by
the Investors entitled hereunder to approve such arrangements, (ii) completes
and executes all questionnaires, powers of attorney, indemnities, underwriting
agreements and other documents reasonably required under the terms of such
underwriting arrangements and (iii) agrees to pay its pro rata share of all
underwriting discounts and commissions and other fees and expenses of investment
bankers and any manager or managers of such underwriting and legal expenses of
the underwriters applicable with respect to its Registrable Securities, in each
case to the extent not payable by the Company pursuant to the terms of this
Agreement; and
(f) Each Investor agrees to take all reasonable actions necessary to
comply with the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act
applicable to its sales of Registrable Securities.
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5. EXPENSES OF REGISTRATION. All reasonable expenses, other than
underwriting discounts and commissions and other fees and expenses of investment
bankers and other than brokerage commissions, incurred in connection with
registrations, filings or qualifications pursuant to Sections 2 and 3,
including, without limitation, all registration, listing and qualifications
fees, printers and accounting fees and the fees and disbursements of counsel for
the Company and one legal counsel for the investors under the registration
rights agreements contemplated by the Subscription Agreements, shall be borne by
the Company, PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the Investors shall bear the fees and
out-of-pocket expenses of the one legal counsel selected by the Investors
pursuant to Section 2(b) hereof.
6. INDEMNIFICATION. In the event any Registrable Securities are
included in a Registration Statement under this Agreement:
(a) To the extent permitted by law, the Company will indemnify and
hold harmless each Investor who holds such Registrable Securities, the
directors, if any, of such Investor, the officers, if any, of such Investor,
each person, if any, who controls any Investor within the meaning of the
Securities Act or the Exchange Act, any underwriter (as defined in the
Securities Act) for the Investors, the directors, if any, of such underwriter
and the officers, if any, of such underwriter, and each person, if any, who
controls any such underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act or the
Exchange Act (each, an "Indemnified Person"), against any losses, claims,
damages, liabilities or expenses (joint or several) incurred (collectively,
"Claims") to which any of them may become subject under the Securities Act, the
Exchange Act or otherwise, insofar as such Claims (or actions or proceedings,
whether commenced or threatened, in respect thereof) arise out of or are based
upon any of the following statements, omissions or violations in the
Registration Statement, or any post-effective amendment thereof, or any
prospectus included therein: (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue
statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any
post-effective amendment thereof or 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, (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue
statement of a material fact contained in any preliminary prospectus if used
prior to the effective date of such Registration Statement, or contained in the
final prospectus (as amended or supplemented, if the Company files any amendment
thereof or supplement thereto with the SEC) or the omission or alleged omission
to state therein any material fact necessary to make the statements made
therein, in light of the circumstances under which the statements therein were
made, not misleading or (iii) any violation or alleged violation by the
Companyof the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, any state securities law or any
rule or regulation under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or any state
securities law (the matters in the foregoing clauses (i) through (iii) being,
collectively, "Violations"). Subject to the restrictions set forth in Section
6(d) with respect to the number of legal
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counsel, the Company shall reimburse the Investors and the other Indemnified
Persons, promptly as such expenses are incurred and are due and payable, for any
legal fees or other reasonable expenses incurred by them in connection with
investigating or defending any such Claim. Notwithstanding anything to the
contrary contained herein, the indemnification agreement contained in this
Section 6(a): (I) shall not apply to a Claim arising out of or based upon a
Violation which occurs in reliance upon and in conformity with information
furnished in writing to the Company by any Indemnified Person or underwriter for
such Indemnified Person expressly for use in connection with the preparation of
the Registration Statement, the prospectus or any such amendment thereof or
supplement thereto, if such prospectus was timely made available by the Company
pursuant to Section 3(c) hereof; (II) with respect to any preliminary prospectus
shall not inure to the benefit of any Indemnified Person if the untrue statement
or omission of material fact contained in the preliminary prospectus was
corrected in the prospectus, as then amended or supplemented, if such prospectus
was timely made available by the Company pursuant to Section 3(c) hereof; and
(III) shall not apply to amounts paid in settlement of any Claim if such
settlement is effected without the prior written consent of the Company, which
consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. Such indemnity shall remain in full
force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the
Indemnified Person and shall survive the transfer of the Registrable Securities
by the Investors pursuant to Section 9.
(b) In connection with any Registration Statement in which an
Investor is participating, each such Investor agrees to indemnify and hold
harmless, to the same extent and in the same manner set forth in Section 6(a),
the Company, each of its directors, each of its officers who signs the
Registration Statement, each person, if any, who controls the Company within the
meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, any underwriter and any other
stockholder selling securities pursuant to the Registration Statement or any of
its directors or officers or any person who controls such stockholder or
underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act
(collectively and together with an Indemnified Person, an "Indemnified Party"),
against any Claim to which any of them may become subject, under the Securities
Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise, insofar as such Claim arises out of or is
based upon any Violation, in each case to the extent (and only to the extent)
that such Violation occurs in reliance upon and in conformity with written
information furnished to the Company by such Investor expressly for use in
connection with such Registration Statement; and such Investor will reimburse
any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by any Indemnified Party,
promptly as such expenses are incurred and are due and payable, in connection
with investigating or defending any such Claim; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the
indemnity agreement contained in this Section 6(b) shall not apply to amounts
paid in settlement of any Claim if such settlement is effected without the prior
written consent of such Investor, which consent shall not be unreasonably
withheld; PROVIDED, FURTHER, HOWEVER, that the Investor shall be
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liable under this Section 6(b) for only that amount of a Claim as does not
exceed the amount by which the net proceeds to such Investor from the sale of
Registrable Securities pursuant to such Registration Statement exceeds the cost
of such Registrable Securities to such Investor. Such indemnity shall remain in
full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of
such Indemnified Party and shall survive the transfer of the Registrable
Securities by the Investors pursuant to Section 9. Notwithstanding anything to
the contrary contained herein, the indemnification agreement contained in this
Section 6(b) with respect to any preliminary prospectus shall not inure to the
benefit of any Indemnified Party if the untrue statement or omission of material
fact contained in the preliminary prospectus was corrected on a timely basis in
the prospectus, as then amended or supplemented.
(c) The Company shall be entitled to receive indemnities from
underwriters, selling brokers, dealer managers and similar securities industry
professionals participating in any distribution, to the same extent as provided
above, with respect to information so furnished in writing by such persons
expressly for inclusion in the Registration Statement.
(d) Promptly after receipt by an Indemnified Person or Indemnified
Party under this Section 6 of notice of the commencement of any action
(including any governmental action), such Indemnified Person or Indemnified
Party shall, if a Claim in respect thereof is to be made against any
indemnifying party under this Section 6, deliver to the indemnifying party a
written notice of the commencement thereof and the indemnifying party shall have
the right to participate in, and, to the extent the indemnifying party so
desires, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly noticed, to assume
control of the defense thereof with counsel selected by the indemnifying party
but reasonably acceptable to the Indemnified Person or the Indemnified Party, as
the case may be; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that an Indemnified Person or Indemnified
Party shall have the right to retain its own counsel with the fees and expenses
to be paid by the indemnifying party, if, in the reasonable opinion of counsel
retained by the indemnifying party, the representation by such counsel of the
Indemnified Person or Indemnified Party and the indemnifying party would be
inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between such
Indemnified Person or Indemnified Party and any other party represented by such
counsel in such proceeding. In such event, the Company shall pay for only one
separate legal counsel for the Investors; such legal counsel shall be selected
by the Investors holding a majority in interest of the Registrable Securities
included in the Registration Statement to which the Claim relates. The failure
to deliver written notice to the indemnifying party within a reasonable time of
the commencement of any such action shall not relieve such indemnifying party of
any liability to the Indemnified Person or Indemnified Party under this Section
6, except to the extent that the indemnifying party is prejudiced in its ability
to defend such action. The indemnification required by this
-14-
Section 6 shall be made by periodic payments of the amount thereof during the
course of the investigation or defense, as such expense, loss, damage or
liability is incurred and is due and payable.
7. CONTRIBUTION. To the extent any indemnification by an
indemnifying party is prohibited or limited by law, the indemnifying party
agrees to make the maximum contribution with respect to any amounts for which it
would otherwise be liable under Section 6 to the fullest extent permitted by
law; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that (a) no contribution shall be made under
circumstances where the maker would not have been liable for indemnification
under the fault standards set forth in Section 6, (b) no seller of Registrable
Securities guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section
11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any seller
of Registrable Securities who was not guilty of such fraudulent
misrepresentation and (c) contribution by any seller of Registrable Securities
shall be limited in amount to the amount by which the net amount of proceeds
received by such seller from the sale of such Registrable Securities exceeds the
purchase price paid by such seller for such Registrable Securities.
8. REPORTS UNDER EXCHANGE ACT. With a view to making available to
the Investors the benefits of Rule 144, the Company agrees to:
(a) make and keep public information available, as those terms are
understood and defined in Rule 144;
(b) file with the SEC in a timely manner all reports and other
documents required of the Company under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act;
and
(c) furnish to each Investor so long as such Investor owns Registrable
Securities, promptly upon request, (i) a written statement by the Company that
it has complied with the reporting requirements of Rule 144 and the Exchange
Act, (ii) a copy of the most recent annual or quarterly report of the Company
and such other reports and documents so filed by the Company and (iii) such
other information as may be reasonably requested to permit the Investors to sell
such securities pursuant to Rule 144 without registration.
9. ASSIGNMENT OF THE REGISTRATION RIGHTS. The rights to have the
Company register Registrable Securities pursuant to this Agreement shall be
automatically assigned by the Investors to any Permitted Transferee only if:
(a) the Investor agrees in writing with such Permitted Transferee to assign such
rights, and a copy of such agreement is furnished to the Company within a
reasonable time after such assignment, (b) the Company is, within a reasonable
time after such transfer or assignment, furnished with written notice of (i) the
name and address of such Permitted Transferee and (ii) the
-15-
securities with respect to which such registration rights are being transferred
or assigned, (c) immediately following such transfer or assignment the further
disposition of such securities by such Permitted Transferee is restricted under
the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, and (d) at or before
the time the Company receives the written notice contemplated by clause (b) of
this sentence such Permitted Transferee agrees in writing with the Company to be
bound by all of the provisions contained herein. In connection with any such
transfer the Company shall, at its sole cost and expense, promptly after such
assignment take such actions as shall be reasonably acceptable to the Initial
Investor and such Permitted Transferee to assure that the Registration Statement
and related prospectus are available for use by such Permitted Transferee for
sales of the Registrable Securities in respect of which the rights to
registration have been so assigned.
10. AMENDMENT OF REGISTRATION RIGHTS. Any provision of this
Agreement may be amended and the observance thereof may be waived (either
generally or in a particular instance and either retroactively or
prospectively), only with the written consent of the Majority Holders. Any
amendment or waiver effected in accordance with this Section 10 shall be binding
upon each Investor and the Company.
11. INITIAL INVESTOR REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES, ETC.
The Initial Investor represents and warrants to, and covenants and
agrees with, the Company as follows:
(a) INVESTMENT PURPOSE. The Initial Investor is acquiring the
Warrants, and will acquire the Warrant Shares, for its own account for
investment only and not with a view towards the public sale or distribution
thereof, except as contemplated by this Agreement.
(b) ACCREDITED INVESTOR. The Initial Investor is an "accredited
investor" as that term is defined in Rule 501 of the General Rules and
Regulations under the Securities Act by reason of Rule 501(a)(3).
(c) REOFFERS AND RESALES. All subsequent offers and sales of the
Warrants and the Warrant Shares by the Initial Investor shall be made pursuant
to registration of the Warrants and the Warrant Shares being offered and sold
under the Securities Act or pursuant to an exemption from registration.
(d) COMPANY RELIANCE. The Initial Investor understands that the
Warrants are being issued, and the Warrant Shares are being offered, in each
case to it in reliance on specific exemptions from the registration requirements
of United States federal and state securities laws and that the Company is
relying upon the truth and accuracy of,
-16-
and the Initial Investor's compliance with, the representations, warranties,
agreements, acknowledgments and understandings of the Initial Investor set forth
herein in order to determine the availability of such exemptions and the
eligibility of the Initial Investor to acquire the Warrants and to receive an
offer of the Warrant Shares.
(e) INFORMATION PROVIDED. The Initial Investor and its advisors, if
any, have been furnished with all materials relating to the business, finances
and operations of the Company and materials relating to the issuance of the
Warrants and the offer of the Warrant Shares which have been requested by the
Initial Investor; the Initial Investor and its advisors, if any, have been
afforded the opportunity to ask questions of the Company and have received
satisfactory answers to any such inquiries; without limiting the generality of
the foregoing, the Initial Investor has had the opportunity to obtain and to
review the Company's (1) Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 1997, (2) Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters
ended March 31, 1998 (as amended on Form 10-QSB/A), June 30, 1998 and September
30, 1998, (3) definitive proxy statement for the Company's 1998 Annual Meeting
of Shareholders held on March 12, 1998 and (4) Current Reports on Form 8-K and
8-K/A filed June 11, 1998, July 14, 1998, August 19, 1998, August 24, 1998 and
December 7, 1998, in each case as filed with the SEC; and the Initial Investor
understands that its investment in the Warrants and the Warrant Shares involves
a high degree of risk.
(f) ABSENCE OF APPROVALS. The Initial Investor understands that no
United States federal or state agency or any other government or governmental
agency has passed on or made any recommendation or endorsement of the Warrants
and the Warrant Shares.
(g) REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT. This Agreement has been duly and
validly authorized, executed and delivered on behalf of the Initial Investor and
is a valid and binding agreement of the Initial Investor enforceable in
accordance with its terms, subject as to enforceability to general principles of
equity and to bankruptcy, insolvency, moratorium and other similar laws
affecting the enforcement of creditors' rights generally.
(h) CERTAIN TRADING RESTRICTIONS. The Initial Investor represents
that on the date hereof it has no short position in the Common Stock. So long
as (i) the Company is in compliance in all material respects with its
obligations to the Investors under this Agreement and the Warrants or (ii) any
noncompliance with such obligations is cured within ten Business Days of the
Company's receipt of notice thereof from an Investor, each Investor agrees on
its behalf and on behalf of its affiliates that it will not engage in any short
sales or other hedging transactions relating to the Common Stock; PROVIDED,
HOWEVER, that for purposes of this Agreement any such transaction involving a
number of
-17-
shares of Common Stock which does not exceed the number of shares for which a
subscription form for exercise of a Warrant has been submitted to the Company's
transfer agent and to the Company shall not be deemed to be a short sale or
hedging transaction.
12. MISCELLANEOUS.
(a) A person or entity is deemed to be a holder of Registrable
Securities whenever such person or entity owns of record such Registrable
Securities. If the Company receives conflicting instructions, notices or
elections from two or more persons or entities with respect to the same
Registrable Securities, the Company shall act upon the basis of instructions,
notice or election received from the registered owner of such Registrable
Securities.
(b) Notices required or permitted to be given hereunder shall be in
writing and shall be deemed to be sufficiently given when personally delivered
(by hand, by courier, by telephone line facsimile transmission (with answer back
confirmation) or other means) (i) if to the Company, at 0000 00xx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx
0000, Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000, Attention: Chief Executive Officer, telephone
line facsimile transmission number (000) 000-0000, (ii) if to the Initial
Investor, at 000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, telephone line
facsimile transmission number (000) 000-0000, and (iii) if to any other
Investor, at such address as such Investor shall have provided in writing to the
Company, or at such other address as each such party furnishes by notice given
in accordance with this Section 12(b), and shall be effective upon receipt.
(c) Failure of any party to exercise any right or remedy under this
Agreement or otherwise, or delay by a party in exercising such right or remedy,
shall not operate as a waiver thereof.
(d) This Agreement shall be enforced, governed by and construed in
accordance with the laws of the State of Colorado applicable to agreements made
and to be performed entirely within such State. In the event that any provision
of this Agreement is invalid or unenforceable under any applicable statute or
rule of law, then such provision shall be deemed inoperative to the extent that
it may conflict therewith and shall be deemed modified to conform with such
statute or rule of law. Any provision hereof which may prove invalid or
unenforceable under any law shall not affect the validity or enforceability of
any other provision hereof.
(e) This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement among the parties
hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof. There are no restrictions,
promises, warranties or undertakings, other than those set forth or referred to
herein. This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings among
the parties hereto
-18-
with respect to the subject matter hereof.
(f) Subject to the requirements of Section 9 hereof, this Agreement
shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the successors and assigns of
each of the parties hereto.
(g) All pronouns and any variations thereof refer to the masculine,
feminine or neuter, singular or plural, as the context may require.
(h) The headings in this Agreement are for convenience of reference
only and shall not limit or otherwise affect the meaning hereof.
(i) The Company acknowledges that any failure by the Company to
perform its obligations under this Agreement, including, without limitation, the
Company's obligations under Section 3(n), or any delay in such performance could
result in damages to the Investors and the Company agrees that, in addition to
any other liability the Company may have by reason of any such failure or delay,
the Company shall be liable for all direct and consequential damages caused by
any such failure or delay.
(j) Each party shall do and perform, or cause to be done and
performed, all such further acts and things, and shall execute and deliver all
such other agreements, certificates, instruments and documents, as the other
party may reasonably request in order to carry out the intent and accomplish the
purposes of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated
hereby.
(k) The language used in this Agreement will be deemed to be the
language chosen by the parties to express their mutual intent, and no rules of
strict construction will be applied against any party.
(l) This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each
of which shall be deemed an original but all of which shall constitute one and
the same agreement. This Agreement, once executed by a party, may be delivered
to the other party hereto by telephone line facsimile transmission of a copy of
this Agreement bearing the signature of the party so delivering this Agreement.
-19-
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Agreement to be duly
executed by their respective officers thereunto duly authorized as of day and
year first above written.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN INTERNET, INC.
By:
Name:
Title:
XXXXXXX CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD.
By:
Name:
Title:
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EXHIBIT 1
TO
REGISTRATION
RIGHTS
AGREEMENT
[Company Letterhead]
[Date]
American Securities Transfer & Trust, Inc.,
as Transfer Agent, Warrant Agent and Registrar
000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxx 000
Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000-0000
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This letter shall serve as our irrevocable authorization and direction
to you to issue shares (the "Warrant Shares") of Common Stock to or upon the
order of the holder from time to time on exercise of the Common Stock Purchase
Warrants (the "Warrants") exercisable for Common Stock issued by the Company
upon receipt by you of a Subscription Form from such holder in the form enclosed
herewith. Certificates for the Warrant Shares should not bear any restrictive
legend and should not be subject to any stop-transfer restriction.
Contemporaneously with the delivery of this letter, the Company is
delivering to you an opinion of Xxxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx & Xxxxxx, LLC as to
registration of the resale of the Warrant Shares under the Securities Act of
1933, as amended.
Should you have any questions concerning this matter, please contact
me.
Very truly yours,
ROCKY MOUNTAIN INTERNET, INC.
By:
Name:
Title:
Enclosures
cc: [Names of Investors]
1-21
EXHIBIT 2
TO
REGISTRATION
RIGHTS
AGREEMENT
______________ ___, 1998
[Names and Addresses of Investors]
ROCKY MOUNTAIN INTERNET, INC.
SHARES OF COMMON STOCK
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We are counsel to Rocky Mountain Internet, Inc., a Delaware
corporation (the "Company"), and we understand that the Company has issued to
[Names of Investors] (the "Holders") Common Stock Purchase Warrants (the
"Warrants"). The Warrants were issued to the Holders pursuant to a Letter
Agreement, dated as of October 28, 1998, by and between Xxxxxxx Capital Partners
Ltd. and the Company (the "Letter Agreement"). Pursuant to the several
Registration Rights Agreements, dated as of December 10, 1998, by and between
the Company and each Holder (the "Registration Rights Agreements") entered into
in connection with the acquisition by the Holders of the Warrants, the Company
agreed with each Holder, among other things, to register for resale the shares
(the "Warrant Shares") of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), upon the terms
provided in the Registration Rights Agreements. Pursuant to the Registration
Rights Agreements, on _________ ___, 1998 the Company filed a Registration
Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-__________) (the "Registration Statement")
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") relating to the Warrant
Shares, which names the Holders as selling stockholders thereunder.
[Other introductory and scope of examination language to be inserted]
2-22
Based on the foregoing, we are of the opinion that:
(1) Since the Closing Date, the Company has timely filed with the SEC
all forms, reports and other documents required to be filed with the SEC
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "1934 Act").
All of such forms, reports and other documents complied, when filed, in all
material respects, with all applicable requirements of the 1933 Act and the
1934 Act;
(2) The Registration Statement and the Prospectus contained therein
(other than the financial statements and financial schedules and other
financial and statistical information contained or incorporated by
reference therein, as to which we have not been requested to and do not
express any opinion) comply as to form in all material respects with the
applicable requirements of the 1933 Act and the rules and regulations
promulgated thereunder; and
(3) The Registration Statement has become effective under the 1933
Act, to the best of our knowledge after due inquiry, no stop order
proceedings with respect thereto have been instituted or threatened by the
SEC. The Warrant Shares have been registered under the 1933 Act and may be
resold by the respective Holders pursuant to the Registration Statement.
We have participated in the preparation of the Registration Statement
and the Prospectus, including review and discussions with officers and other
representatives of the Company, representatives of the independent public
accountants for the Company, and your representatives at which the contents of
the Registration Statement and the Prospectus contained therein and related
matters were discussed, and, although we are not passing upon and do not assume
any responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements
contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus contained therein, on
the basis of the foregoing, nothing has come to our attention that leads us to
believe either that the Registration Statement at the time the Registration
Statement became effective contained an untrue statement of a material fact or
omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to
make the statements therein not misleading, or that the Prospectus contained in
the Registration Statement, as of its date, contained an untrue statement of a
material fact or omitted to state a 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 (it being understood that we have not
been requested to and do not express any view with respect to the financial
statements and schedules and other financial and statistical data included or
incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus
contained
2-23
therein).
Paragraph (3) of this opinion may be relied upon by American
Securities Transfer & Trust, Inc., as Transfer Agent, Warrant Agent and
Registrar (the "Transfer Agent"), as if addressed to the Transfer Agent.
Very truly yours,
cc: American Securities Transfer & Trust, Inc.,
as Transfer Agent, Warrant Agent and Registrar
2-24
