Exhibit 99(c)(9)
REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
Agreement made as of this 10th day of August, 1999, by and among COMC,
Inc., an Illinois corporation (the "Company"), Xxxx X. Xxxxxxxx, ("JA"),
Xxxxxxxxxxx X. Xxxxx ("CRS"), Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx ("NIB"), Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx
("CL"), Gramercy National Partners, LLC ("Gramercy"), Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx ("AAC"),
Xxx Xxxxxx ("GM"), Summer Associates, L.P. ("Summer"), Xxxx Xxxx ("PAG"), Xxxxx
Xxxx ("PEG"), Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx ("SR") and Xxxxxxx Waldschutz ("GW"), and together
with JA, CRS, MB, CL, Gramercy, AAC, GM, Summer, PAG, PEG and SR, the
"Investors").
1. CERTAIN DEFINITIONS.
Section 1. As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have
the following meanings:
1.1 Commission means the Securities and Exchange Commission,
or any other federal agency at the time administering the Securities Act and the
Exchange Act.
1.2 Common Stock means the Company's Common Stock, $.01 par
value.
1.3 Exchange Act means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, or any similar federal statute, and the rules and regulations of the
Commission thereunder, all as the same shall be in effect at the time.
1.4 Person means an individual, corporation, partnership,
joint venture, trust, or unincorporated organization, or a government or any
agency or political subdivision thereof.
1.5 Registrable Securities means any shares of Common Stock
owned as of the date hereof or acquired hereafter by Investors or by their
permitted successors and assigns, including but not limited to shares of Common
Stock issued to Investors pursuant to the Stock Purchase Agreements, dated
August 10, 1999, between the Company and each of Investors but excluding any
such shares of Common Stock that have been (a) sold by such parties other than
to a permitted transferee of Investors, as defined in Section 5 hereof, (b)
registered under the Securities Act pursuant to an effective registration
statement filed thereunder and disposed of in accordance with the registration
statement covering such shares of Common Stock or (c) publicly sold pursuant to
Rule 144 of the Securities Act.
1.6 Securities Act means the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, or any similar federal statute, and the rules and regulations of the
Commission thereunder, all as the same shall be in effect at the time.
2. REGISTRATION RIGHTS.
Section 2.1 Requested Registrations.
(a) Request for Registration. If at any time after the date
hereof, the Company shall receive from the Investors, holding at least 20% of
the Registrable Securities, a written request that the Company effect any
registration with respect to all or a part of the Registrable Securities, the
Company shall do the following:
(i) within ten (10) days of receipt of such request from such
Investor(s), give written notice of the proposed registration to any
other Investors; and
(ii) as soon as practicable, but in any event no later than
ninety (90) days after receipt of such request from the Investor(s),
file a registration statement with the Commission, and use its best
efforts to effect such registration, including, without limitation, the
execution of an undertaking to file post-effective amendments,
appropriate qualification under applicable blue sky or other state
securities laws (except that the Company shall not be required to
qualify the offering under the blue sky laws of any jurisdiction in
which the Company would be required to execute a general consent to
service of process unless the Company is already subject to service in
such jurisdiction), and appropriate compliance with applicable
regulations issued under the Securities Act, as may be so requested and
as would permit or facilitate the sale and distribution of all
Registrable Securities as are specified in such request, together with
all Registrable Securities of any other Investor joining in such
request as are specified in a written request by the other Investors
within twenty (20) days after receipt of such written notice from the
Company.
(b) Underwriting.
(i) If the registration of which the Investors give notice is
for a registered public offering involving an underwriting, the
Investors shall so advise the Company as a part of their request made
pursuant to Section 2. 1 (a) above. The Company shall include such
information in the written notice of the Company referred to in Section
2.1(a)(i) above, including the name of the underwriter or
representative thereof selected for such underwriting. In such event,
the right of any Investor to registration pursuant to this Section 2.1
shall be conditioned upon such Investor participating in such
underwriting and the inclusion of such Investor's Registrable
Securities in such underwriting to the extent provided herein. Any
underwriter requested by the Investors shall be subject to the
Company's approval.
(ii) The Company shall (together with all Investors proposing
to distribute their Registrable Securities through such underwriting)
enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the
Underwriter or representative thereof selected for
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such underwriting. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section
2.1, if the underwriter or representative thereof advises the Investors
in writing that, in its opinion, marketing factors require a limitation
on the number of shares to be underwritten, the number of shares of
Registrable Securities that are entitled to be included in the
registration and underwriting shall be allocated in the following
manner: the securities of the Company held by officers or directors
(other than Registrable Securities) of the Company and other
stockholders, and the securities to be sold by the Company for its own
account shall be excluded from such registration to the extent so
required by such limitation, and if a limitation of the number of
shares is still required, the number of shares of Registrable
Securities that may be included in the registration and underwriting
shall be allocated among all Investors in proportion, as nearly as
practicable, to the respective amounts of Registrable Securities which
they had requested to be included in such registration at the time of
filing, the registration statement. No Registrable Securities or any
other securities excluded from the underwriting by reason of the
underwriter's marketing limitation shall be included in such
registration. If the Company or any holder of Registrable Securities,
officer, director or other stockholder who has requested inclusion in
such registration as provided above disapproves of the terms of any
such underwriting, such person may elect to withdraw therefrom by
written notice to the Company, the underwriter and the other Investors.
The securities so withdrawn shall also be withdrawn from registration.
Any Registrable Securities or other securities excluded shall also be
withdrawn from such registration.
Section 2.2 Piggyback Registrations. If at any time or times the
Company shall determine to register any of its Common Stock or securities
convertible into or exchangeable for Common Stock Under the Securities Act,
whether in connection with a public offering of securities by the Company (a
"primary offering"), a public offering thereof by stockholders (a "secondary
offering"), or both (but not in connection with a registration effected solely
to implement all employee benefit plan or a transaction to which Rule 145 or any
other similar rule of the Commission under the Securities Act is applicable),
the Company will promptly give written notice thereof to the Investors, and will
use its best efforts to effect the registration under the Securities Act of all
Registrable Securities which Investors may request in a writing delivered to the
Company within fifteen ( 15) days after the notice given by the Company;
provided, however, that in the event that any registration pursuant to this
Section 2.1 shall be, in whole or in part, all underwritten public offering of
Common Stock, the number of shares of Registrable Securities to be included in
such an underwriting may be reduced (pro rata among Investors and any other
holder of Registrable Securities based upon the number of shares of Registrable
Securities owned by Investors and such holders) if and to the extent that the
managing underwriter shall be of the opinion that such inclusion would adversely
affect the marketing of the securities to be sold by the Company therein;
provided, however, that, prior to any such reduction, the Company shall first
exclude from such registration, in the following order, all shares of Common
Stock sought to be Included therein by (i) any holder thereof not having any
such contractual, incidental registration rights, and (ii) any holder thereof
having contractual, incidental registration rights subordinate or junior to the
rights of Investors.
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Section 2.3 Registration Expenses. In the event of a registration
described in Section 2.1, all reasonable expenses of registration and offering
of Investors including, without limitation, printing expenses, fees and
disbursements of counsel, including counsel for Investors, and independent
public accountants, fees and expenses (including counsel fees incurred in
connection with complying with state securities or "blue sky" laws, fees of the
National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. and fees of transfer agents and
registrars), shall be borne by the Company, except that each of the Investors
shall bear underwriting commissions and discounts attributable to his
Registrable Securities being registered.
Section 2.4 Further Obligations of the Company. Whenever, under the
preceding sections of this Agreement, the Company is required hereunder to
register Registrable Securities, it agrees that it shall also do the following:
(a) Use its best efforts to diligently prepare for filing with
the Commission a registration statement and such amendments and
supplements to said registration statement and the prospectus used in
connection therewith as may be necessary to keep said registration
statement effective for a period of at least 270 days and to comply
with the provisions of the Securities Act with respect to the sale of
securities covered by said registration statement for the period
necessary to complete the proposed public offering;
(b) Furnish to Investors such copies of each preliminary and
final prospectus and such other documents as such holder may reasonably
request to facilitate the public offering of his Registrable
Securities;
(c) Enter into any underwriting agreement with provisions
reasonably required by the proposed underwriter for Investor, if any,
and reasonably acceptable to the Company; and
(d) Use best efforts to register or qualify the Registrable
Securities covered by said registration statement under the securities
or "blue-sky" laws of such jurisdictions as Investor may reasonably
request.
3. INDEMNIFICATION. Incident to any registration referred to in this
agreement, and subject to applicable law, the company will indemnify each
underwriter, each investor, and each person controlling any of them against all
claims, losses, damages and liabilities, including legal and other expenses
reasonably incurred in investigating or defending against the same, arising out
of any untrue statement of a material fact contained in any prospectus or other
document (including any related registration statement) or any omission to state
therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading, or arising out of any violation by the
Company of the Securities Act, any state securities or "blue-sky" laws or any
rule or regulation thereunder in connection with such registration; provided,
however, that the Company will not be liable in any case to the extent that any
such claim, loss, damage or liability (i) may have been caused by an untrue
statement or omission which is based upon
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information furnished in writing to the Company by Investors expressly for use
therein, or (ii) may have been suffered or incurred by the Company and resulted
from an action, claim or suit by a Person who purchased Registrable Securities
or other securities of the Company from any of the Investors in reliance upon
any untrue statement or omission which was contained or made in any preliminary
prospectus furnished by Investor to such Person in connection with such
registration and which was corrected in a final prospectus which such Investor
possessed, but which such Investor failed to deliver or provide a copy of such
final prospectus to such Person at or prior to the confirmation of the sale of
any such Registrable Securities in any case where such delivery is required by
the Securities Act. In the event of any registration of any of the Registrable
Securities under the Securities Act pursuant to this Agreement, each Investor
will indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors and officers
and each underwriter (if any) and each if any, who controls the Company or any
such underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act
against any claim, losses, damages and liabilities, including legal and other
expenses reasonably incurred in investigating or defending it against the same,
(i) arising out of any untrue statement of a material fact contained in any
prospectus or other document (including any related registration statement) or
any omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statement therein not misleading, if the statement or
omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished
in writing to the Company by or on behalf of such Investor, specifically for use
in connection with the preparation of such registration statement, prospectus,
amendment or supplement, or (ii) which may have been suffered or incurred by the
Company and which resulted from an action, claim or suit by a Person who
purchased Registrable Securities or other securities of the Company from
Investor in reliance upon ally untrue statement or omission which was contained
or made in any preliminary prospectus furnished by such investor to such Person
and which was corrected in a final prospectus which Investor possessed, but
which such Investor failed to deliver or provide a copy of such final prospectus
to such Person at or prior to the confirmation of the sale of any such
Registrable Securities in any case where such delivery is required by the
Securities Act; provided, however, that the obligations of each Investor
hereunder shall be limited to an amount equal to the proceeds to such Investor
of Registrable Securities sold as contemplated herein.
4. RULE 144 REQUIREMENTS. If the Company remains subject to the reporting
requirements of either Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act, the
Company will use its best efforts to file with the Commission such information
as the Commission may require under either of said sections; and in such event,
the Company shall use its best efforts to take all action as may be required as
a condition to the availability of Rule 144 of the Securities Act (or any
Successor exemptive rule hereinafter ill effect). The Company shall furnish to
such Investor upon request, a written statement executed by the Company as to
the steps it has taken to comply with the current public information
requirements of Rule 144.
5. TRANSFER OF REGISTRATION RIGHTS. The registration rights of Investors
under this Agreement may be transferred to any transferee of any Registrable
Securities, who (i) is a holder of Registrable Securities as of the date of this
Agreement, (ii) is an affiliate of an entity that holds Registrable Securities,
as "affiliate" is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as
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of the date of this Agreement (including a partner of such holder), or (iii)
acquires at least 10,000 shares of Registrable Securities (as adjusted for stock
splits, stock dividends, reclassification, recapitalizations or other similar
events). Each such transferee shall be deemed to be an "Investor" for purposes
of this Agreement; provided, however, that no transfer of registration rights by
Investor pursuant to this Section 5 shall create any additional rights in the
transferee beyond those rights granted to Investors Pursuant to this Agreement.
6. MISCELLANEOUS.
Section 6.1 Damages. The Company recognizes and agrees that Investors
will not have all adequate remedy if the Company falls to comply with this
Agreement and that damages may not be readily ascertainable, and the Company
expressly agrees that, in the event of such failure, it shall not oppose all
application by any Investor requiring specific performance of ally and all
provisions hereof or enjoining the Company from continuing to commit any such
breach of this Agreement.
Section 6.2 No Waiver, Cumulative Remedies. No failure or delay on the
part of any party to this Agreement in exercising any right, power or remedy
hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof, not- shall any single or partial
exercise of any such right, power or remedy preclude any other or further
exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, power or remedy hereunder.
The remedies herein provided are cumulative and not exclusive of any remedies
provided by law.
Section 6.3 Amendments and Waivers. Except as hereinafter provided,
amendments to this Agreement shall require and shall be effective upon receipt
of the written consent of both the Company and Investors. Except as hereinafter
provided, compliance with any covenant or provision set forth herein may be
waived upon written consent by the party or parties whose rights are being
waived. Any waiver or amendments may be given subject to satisfaction of
conditions stated therein and any waiver or amendments shall be effective only
in the specific instance and for the specific purpose for which given.
Section 6.4 Notices.
As the terms "notice" or "notices" are used herein as between the
parties, such term shall mean a written document, explaining the reason for the
notice, and the same shall be mailed by United States Postal Service Via
Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested, addressed as follows:
If to the Company: COMC, Inc.
000 X. Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx 00000
Attention: President
Fax No.: ____________________
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with a copy to: Xxxx Xxxxx, Esq.
Xxxxxx Xxxxx, Inc.
1901 Avenue of the Stars
Xxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx 00000
Fax No.: 000-000-0000
If to Investors: to the respective address set forth on Schedule I
attached hereto.
Such notice shall be deemed to have been given on the date placed in the U.S.
Mails, and sent by fax to counsel, whether actually received by the addressee or
not. The parties shall, as a matter of convenience and courtesy, send each party
receiving notice a copy of said notice by facsimile or other electronic means,
or by courier, Federal Express, or similar service, but such notifications shall
not be deemed lawful "notice" as required hereby. The parties may, from time to
time, amend the above addresses and names by written notice to the other party.
Section 6.5 Binding Effect; Assignment. This Agreement shall be binding
upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective heirs,
successors and assigns, except that the Company shall not have the right to
delegate its obligations hereunder or to assign its rights hereunder or any
interest herein without the prior written consent of all of the Investors.
Section 6.6 Prior Agreements. This Agreement constitutes the entire
agreement between the parties and Supersedes any prior understandings or
agreements concerning the subject matter hereof.
Section 6.7 Severability. The provisions of this Agreement are
severable and, in the event that any court of competent Jurisdiction shall
determine that any one or more of the provisions or part of a provision
contained in this Agreement, shall, for any reason, be held to be invalid,
illegal or unenforceable such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability shall
not affect any other provision or part of a provision of this Agreement, but
instead this Agreement shall be reformed and construed as if such invalid or
illegal or unenforceable provision, or part of a provision, had never been
contained herein, and such provisions or part reformed so that it would be
valid, legal and enforceable to the maximum extent possible.
Section 6.8 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and
construed in accordance with the substantive laws of the State of California.
Section 6.9 Headings. Article, section and subsection headings in this
Agreement are included herein for convenience of reference only and shall not
constitute a part of this Agreement for any other purpose.
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Section 6.10. Counterparts. This Agreement maybe executed in any number
of counterparts, all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same
instrument, and any of the parties hereto may execute this Agreement by signing
any such counterpart.
Section 6.11. Further Assurances. From and after the date of this
Agreement, upon the request of any party hereto, the other parties shall execute
and deliver such instruments, documents and other writings as may be reasonably
necessary or desirable to confirm and carry out and to effectuate fully the
intent and purposes of this Agreement.
COMC, Inc. SUMMER ASSOCIATES, L.P.
By: /s/ Xxxx Xxxxxxxx By: /s/ Xxxxxx Xxxxx
------------------------------ --------------------------------
Name: Xxxx Xxxxxxxx Name: Xxxxxx Xxxxx
Title: CEO Title: Manager
/s/ Xxxx X. Xxxxxxxx /s/ Xxxx Xxxx
---------------------------------- ------------------------------------
Xxxx X. Xxxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxx
/s/ Xxxxxxxxxxx X. Xxxxx /s/ Xxxxx Xxxx
---------------------------------- ------------------------------------
Xxxxxxxxxxx X. Xxxxx Xxxxx Xxxx
GRAMERCY NATIONAL /s/ Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx
PARTNERS, LLC ------------------------------------
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx
By: /s/ Xxxxx Karolh /s/ Xxxxxxx Waldshutz
------------------------------ ------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxx Karolh Xxxxxxx Waldshutz
Title: Managing Member
/s/ Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx
/s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx ------------------------------------
---------------------------------- Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx
Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx
/s/ Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx
/s/ Xxx Xxxxxx ------------------------------------
---------------------------------- Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx
Xxx Xxxxxx
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SCHEDULE I
Xxxx X. Xxxxxxxx Xxxxx Xxxx
c/o COMC Inc. c/o Graf, Xxxxxxx & Co.
000 Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx Xxxx. 1414 Avenue of the Americas
Burbank, XX 00xx Xxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
Xxxxxxxxxxx X. Xxxxx
00 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxx 00000 0 Xxxxx Xxxx
Xxxx'x Xxxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
Gramercy National Partners, LLC
00 Xxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx
Suite 408 c/o Graf, Xxxxxxx & Co.
Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxx 00000 1114 Avenue of the Americas
00xx Xxxxx
Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
000 Xxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx. 000
Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000 Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx
Xxx Xxxxxx ------------------------------
000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxx, Xxx 00X
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000 ------------------------------
Summer Associates, L.P. Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx
000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000 ------------------------------
Xxxx Xxxx ------------------------------
c/o Graf, Xxxxxxx & Co.
1114 Avenue of the Xxxxxxxx
00xx Xxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
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