EXHIBIT 4.4
REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
Registration Rights Agreement dated as of March 29, 2002 (this
"AGREEMENT") by and between SonicPort, Inc., a Nevada corporation, with
principal executive offices located at 00000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx,
Xxxxxxxxxx 00000 (the "COMPANY"), and La Jolla Cove Investors, Inc. (the
"INITIAL INVESTOR").
WHEREAS, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the
Securities Purchase Agreement dated as of March 29, 2002, by and between the
Initial Investor and the Company (the "SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT"), the
Company has agreed to issue and sell to the Initial Investor a 9-3/4%
Convertible Debenture (the "DEBENTURE") of the Company in the aggregate
principal amount of $300,000 which, upon the terms of and subject to the
conditions contained therein, is convertible into shares of the Company's Common
Stock (the "COMMON STOCK") ; and
WHEREAS, to induce the Initial Investor to execute and deliver
the Securities Purchase Agreement, the Company has agreed to provide with
respect to the Common Stock issued upon conversion of the Debenture and the
Warrant Shares certain registration rights under the Securities Act;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual
covenants contained herein, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound,
hereby agree as follows:
ARTICLE I Definitions
(A) As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the
meanings:
(1) "AFFILIATE" of any specified Person means any other
Person who directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, is in
control of, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such specified
Person. For purposes of this definition, control of a Person means the power,
directly or indirectly, to direct or cause the direction of the management and
policies of such Person whether by contract, securities, ownership or otherwise;
and the terms "CONTROLLING" and "CONTROLLED" have the respective meanings
correlative to the foregoing.
(2) "CLOSING DATE" means March 29, 2002.
(3) "COMMISSION" means the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
(4) "EXCHANGE ACT" means the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, or
any similar successor statute.
(5) "INVESTOR" means each of the Initial Investor and any
transferee or assignee of Registrable Securities which agrees to become bound by
all of the terms and provisions of this Agreement in accordance with Section 8
hereof.
(6) "PERSON" means any individual, partnership,
corporation, limited liability company, joint stock company, association, trust,
unincorporated organization, or a government or agency or political subdivision
thereof.
(7) "PROSPECTUS" means the prospectus (including, without
limitation, any preliminary prospectus and any final prospectus filed pursuant
to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, including any prospectus that discloses
information previously omitted from a prospectus filed as part of an effective
registration statement in reliance on Rule 430A under the Securities Act)
included in the Registration Statement, as amended or supplemented by any
prospectus supplement with respect to the terms of the offering of any portion
of the Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement and by all
other amendments and supplements to such prospectus, including all material
incorporated by reference in such prospectus and all documents filed after the
date of such prospectus by the Company under the Exchange Act and incorporated
by reference therein.
(8) "PUBLIC OFFERING" means an offer registered with the
Commission and the appropriate state securities commissions by the Company of
its Common Stock and made pursuant to the Securities Act.
(9) "REGISTRABLE SECURITIES" means the Common Stock issued
or issuable (i) upon conversion or redemption of the Debenture, (ii) exercise of
the Conversion Warrants and the Warrant to Purchase Common Stock issued to the
Initial Investor on March 29, 2002 (iii) pursuant to the terms and provisions
of the Debenture or the Securities Purchase Agreement, (iv) in connection with
any distribution, recapitalization, stock-split, stock adjustment or
reorganization of the Company; provided, however, a share of Common Stock shall
cease to be a Registrable Security for purposes of this Agreement when it no
longer is a Restricted Security.
(10) "REGISTRATION STATEMENT" means a registration
statement of the Company filed on an appropriate form under the Securities Act
providing for the registration of, and the sale on a continuous or delayed basis
by the holders of, all of the Registrable Securities pursuant to Rule 415 under
the Securities Act, including the Prospectus contained therein and forming a
part thereof, any amendments to such registration statement and supplements to
such Prospectus, and all exhibits to and other material incorporated by
reference in such registration statement and Prospectus.
(11) "RESTRICTED SECURITY" means any share of Common Stock
issued upon conversion or redemption of the Debenture except any such share that
(i) has been registered pursuant to an effective registration statement under
the Securities Act and sold in a manner contemplated by the prospectus included
in such registration statement, (ii) has been transferred in compliance with the
resale provisions of Rule 144 under the Securities Act (or any successor
provision thereto) or is transferable pursuant to paragraph (k) of Rule 144
under the Securities Act (or any successor provision thereto) or (iii) otherwise
has been
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transferred and a new share of Common Stock not subject to transfer restrictions
under the Securities Act has been delivered by or on behalf of the Company.
(12) "SECURITIES ACT" means the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, or any
similar successor statute.
(B) All capitalized terms used and not defined herein have the
respective meaning assigned to them in the Securities Purchase Agreement or the
Debenture.
ARTICLE II Registration
(A) FILING AND EFFECTIVENESS OF REGISTRATION STATEMENT. The
Company shall prepare and file with the Commission as soon as practicable a
Registration Statement relating to the offer and sale of the Registrable
Securities and shall use its best efforts to cause the Commission to declare
such Registration Statement effective under the Securities Act as promptly as
practicable but in no event later than one-hundred twenty (120) days after the
Closing Date. The Company shall promptly (and, in any event, no more than 24
hours after it receives comments from the Commission), notify the Buyer when and
if it receives any comments from the Commission on the Registration Statement
and promptly forward a copy of such comments, if they are in writing, to the
Buyer. At such time after the filing of the Registration Statement pursuant to
this Section 2(A) as the Commission indicates, either orally or in writing, that
it has no further comments with respect to such Registration Statement or that
it is willing to entertain appropriate requests for acceleration of
effectiveness of such Registration Statement, the Company shall promptly, and in
no event later than two (2) business days after receipt of such indication from
the Commission, request that the effectiveness of such Registration Statement be
accelerated within forty-eight (48) hours of the Commission's receipt of such
request. The Company shall notify the Initial Investor by written notice that
such Registration Statement has been declared effective by the Commission within
24 hours of such declaration by the Commission.
(B) ELIGIBILITY FOR USE OF FORM S-3 OR AN SB-2. The Company
agrees that at such time as it meets all the requirements for the use of
Securities Act Registration Statement on Form S-3 or SB-2 and it shall file all
reports and information required to be filed by it with the Commission in a
timely manner and take all such other action so as to maintain such eligibility
for the use of such form.
(C) ADDITIONAL REGISTRATION STATEMENT. In the event the Current
Market Price declines to a price per share the result of which is that the
Company cannot satisfy its conversion obligations to Initial Investor hereunder,
the Company shall, to the extent required by the Securities Act (because the
additional shares were not covered by the Registration Statement filed pursuant
to Section 2(a)), as reasonably determined by the Initial Investor, file an
additional Registration Statement with the Commission for such additional number
of Registrable Securities as would be issuable upon conversion of the Debenture
(the "ADDITIONAL REGISTRABLE SECURITIES") in addition to those previously
registered. The Company shall, to the extent required by the Securities Act, as
reasonably determined by the Initial Investor, prepare and file with the
Commission not later than the 30th day thereafter, a
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Registration Statement relating to the offer and sale of such Additional
Registrable Securities and shall use its best efforts to cause the Commission to
declare such Registration Statement effective under the Securities Act as
promptly as practicable but not later than 120 days thereafter. The Company
shall not include any other securities in the Registration Statement relating to
the offer and sale of such Additional Registrable Securities.
(D) (i) If the Company proposes to register any of its warrants,
Common Stock or any other shares of common stock of the Company under the
Securities Act (other than a registration (A) on Form S-8 or S-4 or any
successor or similar forms, (B) relating to Common Stock or any other shares of
common stock of the Company issuable upon exercise of employee share options or
in connection with any employee benefit or similar plan of the Company or (C) in
connection with a direct or indirect acquisition by the Company of another
Person or any transaction with respect to which Rule 145 (or any successor
provision) under the Securities Act applies), whether or not for sale for its
own account, it will each such time, give prompt written notice at least 20 days
prior to the anticipated filing date of the registration statement relating to
such registration to each Investor, which notice shall set forth such Investor's
rights under this Section 2(D) and shall offer such Investor the opportunity to
include in such registration statement such number of Registrable Securities as
such Investor may request. Upon the written request of any Investor made within
10 days after the receipt of notice from the Company (which request shall
specify the number of Registrable Securities intended to be disposed of by such
Investor), the Company will use its best efforts to effect the registration
under the Securities Act of all Registrable Securities that the Company has been
so requested to register by each Investor, to the extent requisite to permit the
disposition of the Registrable Securities so to be registered; provided,
however, that (A) if such registration involves a Public Offering, each Investor
must sell its Registrable Securities to any underwriters selected by the Company
with the consent of such Investor on the same terms and conditions as apply to
the Company and (B) if, at any time after giving written notice of its intention
to register any Registrable Securities pursuant to this Section 2 and prior to
the effective date of the registration statement filed in connection with such
registration, the Company shall determine for any reason not to register such
Registrable Securities, the Company shall give written notice to each Investor
and, thereupon, shall be relieved of its obligation to register any Registrable
Securities in connection with such registration. The Company's obligations under
this Section 2(D) shall terminate on the date that the registration statement to
be filed in accordance with Section 2(A) is declared effective by the
Commission.
(ii) If a registration pursuant to this Section 2(D)
involves a Public Offering and the managing underwriter thereof advises the
Company that, in its view, the number of shares of Common Stock that the Company
and the Investors intend to include in such registration exceeds the largest
number of shares of Common Stock that can be sold without having an adverse
effect on such Public Offering (the "MAXIMUM OFFERING SIZE"), the Company will
include in such registration only such number of shares of Common Stock as does
not exceed the Maximum Offering Size, and the number of shares in the Maximum
Offering Size shall be allocated among the Company, the Investors and any other
sellers of Common Stock in such Public Offering ("THIRD-PARTY SELLERS"), first,
pro rata among the Investors until all the shares of Common Stock originally
proposed to be offered for sale by the Investors have been allocated, and
second, pro rata among the Company and any Third-Party Sellers, in each case on
the basis of the relative number of shares of Common Stock originally proposed
to be offered for
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sale under such registration by each of the Investors, the Company and the
Third-Party Sellers, as the case may be. If as a result of the proration
provisions of this Section 2(D)(ii), any Investor is not entitled to include all
such Registrable Securities in such registration, such Investor may elect to
withdraw its request to include any Registrable Securities in such registration.
With respect to registrations pursuant to this Section 2(D), the number of
securities required to satisfy any underwriters' over-allotment option shall be
allocated among the Company, the Investors and any Third Party Seller pro rata
on the basis of the relative number of securities offered for sale under such
registration by each of the Investors, the Company and any such Third Party
Sellers before the exercise of such over-allotment option.
(E) The Registration Statement filed pursuant to Section 2A
hereof shall include only the Registrable Securities. No other securities shall
be included in the Registration Statement.
ARTICLE III Obligations of the Company
In connection with the registration of the Registrable
Securities, the Company shall:
(A) Promptly (i) prepare and file with the Commission such
amendments (including post-effective amendments) to the Registration Statement
and supplements to the Prospectus as may be necessary to keep the Registration
Statement continuously effective and in compliance with the provisions of the
Securities Act applicable thereto so as to permit the Prospectus forming part
thereof to be current and useable by Investors for resales of the Registrable
Securities for a period of five (5) years from the date on which the
Registration Statement is first declared effective by the Commission (the
"EFFECTIVE TIME") or such shorter period that will terminate when all the
Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement have been sold
pursuant thereto in accordance with the plan of distribution provided in the
Prospectus, transferred pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act or
otherwise transferred in a manner that results in the delivery of new securities
not subject to transfer restrictions under the Securities Act (the "REGISTRATION
PERIOD") and (ii) take all lawful action such that each of (A) the Registration
Statement and any amendment thereto does not, when it becomes effective, contain
an 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, not misleading
and (B) the Prospectus forming part of the Registration Statement, and any
amendment or supplement thereto, does not at any time during the Registration
Period include an 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 under which they were made, not
misleading;
(B) During the Registration Period, comply with the provisions of
the Securities Act with respect to the 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 Investors as set forth in the Prospectus forming part of the
Registration Statement;
(C) (i) Prior to the filing with the Commission of any
Registration Statement (including any amendments thereto) and the distribution
or delivery of any Prospectus (including any supplements thereto), provide (A)
draft copies thereof to the Investors and reflect in such documents all such
comments as the Investors (and their counsel) reasonably may propose and (B) to
the Investors a copy of the accountant's consent letter to be
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included in the filing and (ii) furnish to each Investor whose Registrable
Securities are included in the Registration Statement and its legal counsel
identified to the Company, (A) promptly after the same is prepared and publicly
distributed, filed with the Commission, or received by the Company, one copy of
the Registration Statement, each Prospectus, and each amendment or supplement
thereto and (B) such number of copies of the Prospectus and all amendments and
supplements thereto and such other documents, as such Investor may reasonably
request in order to facilitate the disposition of the Registrable Securities
owned by such Investor;
(D) (i) Register or 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 such 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 during the Registration Period,
(iii) take all such other lawful actions as may be necessary to maintain such
registrations and qualifications in effect at all times during the Registration
Period and (iv) take all such other lawful 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 to (A) qualify to do business in any
jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to qualify but for this
Section 3(D), (B) subject itself to general taxation in any such jurisdiction or
(C) file a general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction;
(E) As promptly as practicable after becoming aware of such
event, notify each Investor of the occurrence of any event, 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
promptly prepare an amendment to the Registration Statement and supplement to
the Prospectus to correct such untrue statement or omission, and deliver a
number of copies of such supplement and amendment to each Investor as such
Investor may reasonably request;
(F) 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 underwritten offering, the managing underwriters) of the
issuance by the Commission of any stop order or other suspension of the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement at the earliest possible time and
take all lawful action to effect the withdrawal, recession or removal of such
stop order or other suspension;
(G) Cause all the Registrable Securities covered by the
Registration Statement to be listed on the principal national securities
exchange, and included in an inter-dealer quotation system of a registered
national securities association, on or in which securities of the same class or
series issued by the Company are then listed or included;
(H) Maintain 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;
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(I) Cooperate with the Investors who hold Registrable Securities
being offered to facilitate the timely preparation and delivery of certificates
for the Registrable Securities to be offered pursuant to the registration
statement and enable such certificates for the Registrable Securities to be in
such denominations or amounts, as the case may be, as the Investors reasonably
may request and registered in such names as the Investor may request; and,
within three (3) business days after a registration statement which includes
Registrable Securities is declared effective by the Commission, deliver and
cause legal counsel selected by the Company to deliver to the transfer agent for
the Registrable Securities (with copies to the Investors whose Registrable
Securities are included in such registration statement) an appropriate
instruction and, to the extent necessary, an opinion of such counsel;
(J) Take all such other lawful actions reasonably necessary to
expedite and facilitate the disposition by the Investors of their Registrable
Securities in accordance with the intended methods therefor provided in the
Prospectus which are customary under the circumstances;
(K) Make generally available to its security holders as soon as
practicable, but in any event not later than three (3) months after (i) the
effective date (as defined in Rule 158(c) under the Securities Act) of the
Registration Statement and (ii) the effective date of each post-effective
amendment to the Registration Statement, as the case may be, an earnings
statement of the Company and its subsidiaries complying with Section 11 (a) of
the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder
(including, at the option of the Company, Rule 158);
(L) In the event of an underwritten offering, promptly include or
incorporate in a Prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment to the
Registration Statement such information as the managers reasonably agree should
be included therein and to which the Company does not reasonably object and make
all required filings of such Prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment
as soon as practicable after it is notified of the matters to be included or
incorporated in such Prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment;
(M) (i) Make reasonably available for inspection by Investors,
any underwriter participating in any disposition pursuant to the Registration
Statement, and any attorney, accountant or other agent retained by such
Investors or any such underwriter all relevant financial and other records,
pertinent corporate documents and properties of the Company and its
subsidiaries, and (ii) cause the Company's officers, directors and employees to
supply all information reasonably requested by such Investors or any such
underwriter, attorney, accountant or agent in connection with the Registration
Statement, in each case, as is customary for similar due diligence examinations;
provided, however, that all records, information and documents that are
designated in writing by the Company, in good faith, as confidential,
proprietary or containing any material nonpublic information shall be kept
confidential by such Investors and any such underwriter, attorney, accountant or
agent (pursuant to an appropriate confidentiality agreement in the case of any
such holder or agent), unless such disclosure is made pursuant to judicial
process in a court proceeding (after first giving the Company an opportunity
promptly to seek a protective order or otherwise limit the scope of the
information sought to be disclosed) or is required by law, or such records,
information or documents become available to the public generally or through a
third party not in violation of an accompanying obligation of
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confidentiality; and provided, further, that, if the foregoing inspection and
information gathering would otherwise disrupt the Company's conduct of its
business, such inspection and information gathering shall, to the maximum extent
possible, be coordinated on behalf of the Investors and the other parties
entitled thereto by one firm of counsel designed by and on behalf of the
majority in interest of Investors and other parties;
(N) In connection with any underwritten offering, make such
representations and warranties to the Investors participating in such
underwritten offering and to the managers, in form, substance and scope as are
customarily made by the Company to underwriters in secondary underwritten
offerings;
(O) In connection with any underwritten offering, obtain opinions
of counsel to the Company (which counsel and opinions (in form, scope and
substance) shall be reasonably satisfactory to the managers) addressed to the
underwriters, covering such matters as are customarily covered in opinions
requested in secondary underwritten offerings (it being agreed that the matters
to be covered by such opinions shall include, without limitation, as of the date
of the opinion and as of the Effective Time of the Registration Statement or
most recent post-effective amendment thereto, as the case may be, the absence
from the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, including any documents
incorporated by reference therein, of an untrue statement of a material fact or
the omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to
make the statements therein (in the case of the Prospectus, in light of the
circumstances under which they were made) not misleading, subject to customary
limitations);
(P) In connection with any underwritten offering, obtain "cold
comfort" letters and updates thereof from the independent public accountants of
the Company (and, if necessary, from the independent public accountants of any
subsidiary of the Company or of any business acquired by the Company, in each
case for which financial statements and financial data are, or are required to
be, included in the Registration Statement), addressed to each underwriter
participating in such underwritten offering (if such underwriter has provided
such letter, representations or documentation, if any, required for such cold
comfort letter to be so addressed), in customary form and covering matters of
the type customarily covered in "cold comfort" letters in connection with
secondary underwritten offerings;
(Q) In connection with any underwritten offering, deliver such
documents and certificates as may be reasonably required by the managers, if
any, and
(R) In the event that any broker-dealer registered under the
Exchange Act shall be an "AFFILIATE" (as defined in Rule 2729(b)(1) of the rules
and regulations of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (the
"NASD RULES") (or any successor provision thereto)) of the Company or has a
"CONFLICT OF INTEREST" (as defined in Rule 2720(b)(7) of the NASD Rules (or any
successor provision thereto)) and such broker-dealer shall underwrite,
participate as a member of an underwriting syndicate or selling group or assist
in the distribution of any Registrable Securities covered by the Registration
Statement, whether as a holder of such Registrable Securities or as an
underwriter, a placement or sales agent or a broker or dealer in respect
thereof, or otherwise, the Company shall assist such broker-dealer in complying
with the requirements of the NASD Rules, including, without limitation, by (A)
engaging a "QUALIFIED INDEPENDENT UNDERWRITER" (as defined in Rule 2720(b)(15)
of the
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NASD Rules (or any successor provision thereto)) to participate in the
preparation of the Registration Statement relating to such Registrable
Securities, to exercise usual standards of due diligence in respect thereof and
to recommend the public offering price of such Registrable Securities, (B)
indemnifying such qualified independent underwriter to the extent of the
indemnification of underwriters provided in Section 6 hereof and (C) providing
such information to such broker-dealer as may be required in order for such
broker-dealer to comply with the requirements of the NASD Rules.
ARTICLE IV 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;
(B) Each Investor by its acceptance of the Registrable Securities
agrees to cooperate with the Company in connection with the preparation and
filing of the Registration Statement hereunder, unless such Investor has
notified the Company in writing of its election to exclude all of its
Registrable Securities from the Registration Statement; and
(C) Each Investor agrees that, upon receipt of any notice from
the Company of the occurrence of any event of the kind described in Section 3(E)
or 3(F), it shall immediately discontinue its 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(E) 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.
ARTICLE V Expenses of Registration
All expenses, other than underwriting discounts and commissions,
incurred in connection with registrations, filings or qualifications pursuant to
Section 3, but including, without limitation, all registration, listing, and
qualifications fees, printing and engraving fees, accounting fees, and the fees
and disbursements of counsel for the Company, and the reasonable fees of one
firm of counsel to the holders of a majority in interest of the Registrable
Securities shall be borne by the Company.
ARTICLE VI Indemnification and Contribution
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(A) INDEMNIFICATION BY THE COMPANY. The Company shall indemnify
and hold harmless each Investor and each underwriter, if any, which facilitates
the disposition of Registrable Securities, and each of their respective officers
and directors and each person who controls such Investor or underwriter within
the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange
Act (each such person being sometimes hereinafter referred to as an "INDEMNIFIED
PERSON") from and against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or
several, to which such Indemnified Person may become subject under the
Securities Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or
liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an
untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Registration Statement or
an omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, not misleading, or
arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement of a material fact contained
in any Prospectus or an omission or alleged omission to state therein 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;
and the Company hereby agrees to reimburse such Indemnified Person for all
reasonable legal and other expenses incurred by them in connection with
investigating or defending any such action or claim as and when such expenses
are incurred; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable to any
such Indemnified Person in any such case to the extent that any such loss,
claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon (i) an untrue
statement or alleged untrue statement made in, or an omission or alleged
omission from, such Registration Statement or Prospectus in reliance upon and in
conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Indemnified
Person expressly for use therein or (ii) in the case of the occurrence of an
event of the type specified in Section 3(E), the use by the Indemnified Person
of an outdated or defective Prospectus after the Company has provided to such
Indemnified Person an updated Prospectus correcting the untrue statement or
alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission giving rise to such
loss, claim, damage or liability.
(B) NOTICE OF CLAIMS, ETC. Promptly after receipt by a party
seeking indemnification pursuant to this Section 6 (an "INDEMNIFIED PARTY") of
written notice of any investigation, claim, proceeding or other action in
respect of which indemnification is being sought (each, a "CLAIM"), the
Indemnified Party promptly shall notify the party against whom indemnification
pursuant to this Section 6 is being sought (the "INDEMNIFYING PARTY") of the
commencement thereof; but the omission to so notify the Indemnifying Party shall
not relieve it from any liability that it otherwise may have to the Indemnified
Party, except to the extent that the Indemnifying Party is materially prejudiced
and forfeits substantive rights and defenses by reason of such failure. In
connection with any Claim as to which both the Indemnifying Party and the
Indemnified Party are parties, the Indemnifying Party shall be entitled to
assume the defense thereof. Notwithstanding the assumption of the defense of any
Claim by the Indemnifying Party, the Indemnified Party shall have the right to
employ separate legal counsel and to participate in the defense of such Claim,
and the Indemnifying Party shall bear the reasonable fees, out-of-pocket costs
and expenses of such separate legal counsel to the Indemnified Party if (and
only if): (x) the Indemnifying Party shall have agreed to pay such fees, costs
and expenses, (y) the Indemnified Party and the Indemnifying Party shall
reasonably have concluded that representation of the Indemnified Party by the
Indemnifying Party by the same legal counsel would not be appropriate due to
actual or, as reasonably determined by legal counsel to the Indemnified Party,
potentially differing interests between such parties in the conduct of the
defense of such Claim, or if there may be legal defenses available to the
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Indemnified Party that are in addition to or disparate from those available to
the Indemnifying Party or (z) the Indemnifying Party shall have failed to employ
legal counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Party within a
reasonable period of time after notice of the commencement of such Claim. If the
Indemnified Party employs separate legal counsel in circumstances other than as
described in clauses (x), (y) or (z) above, the fees, costs and expenses of such
legal counsel shall be borne exclusively by the Indemnified Party. Except as
provided above, the Indemnifying Party shall not, in connection with any Claim
in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one
firm of counsel for the Indemnified Party (together with appropriate local
counsel). The Indemnified Party shall not, without the prior written consent of
the Indemnifying Party (which consent shall not unreasonably be withheld),
settle or compromise any Claim or consent to the entry of any judgment that does
not include an unconditional release of the Indemnifying Party from all
liabilities with respect to such Claim or judgment.
(C) CONTRIBUTION. If the indemnification provided for in this
Section 6 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an Indemnified
Person under subsection (A) above in respect of any losses, claims, damages or
liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to therein, then each
Indemnifying Party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such
Indemnified Party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or
actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the
relative fault of the Indemnifying Party and the Indemnified Party in connection
with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages
or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant
equitable considerations. The relative fault of such Indemnifying Party and
Indemnified Party shall be determined by reference to, among other things,
whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or
alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by
such Indemnifying Party or by such Indemnified Party, and the parties' relative
intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent
such statement or omission. The parties hereto agree that it would not be just
and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 6(D) were determined by
pro rata allocation (even if the Investors or any underwriters were treated as
one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not
take account of the equitable considerations referred to in this Section 6(D).
The amount paid or payable by an Indemnified Party as a result of the losses,
claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to above
shall be deemed to include any legal or other fees or expenses reasonably
incurred by such Indemnified Party in connection with investigating or defending
any such action or claim. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation
(within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to
contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent
misrepresentation. The obligations of the Investors and any underwriters in this
Section 6(D) to contribute shall be several in proportion to the percentage of
Registrable Securities registered or underwritten, as the case may be, by them
and not joint.
(D) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 6, in no
event shall any (i) Investor be required to undertake liability to any person
under this Section 6 for any amounts in excess of the dollar amount of the
proceeds to be received by such Investor from the sale of such Investor's
Registrable Securities (after deducting any fees, discounts and commissions
applicable thereto) pursuant to any Registration Statement under which such
Registrable Securities are to be registered under the Securities Act and (ii)
underwriter be
11
required to undertake liability to any Person hereunder for any amounts in
excess of the aggregate discount, commission or other compensation payable to
such underwriter with respect to the Registrable Securities underwritten by it
and distributed pursuant to the Registration Statement.
(E) The obligations of the Company under this Section 6 shall be
in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have to any
Indemnified Person and the obligations of any Indemnified Person under this
Section 6 shall be in addition to any liability which such Indemnified Person
may otherwise have to the Company. The remedies provided in this Section 6 are
not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be
available to an indemnified party at law or in equity.
ARTICLE VII Rule 144
With a view to making available to the Investors the benefits of
Rule 144 under the Securities Act or any other similar rule or regulation of the
Commission that may at any time permit the Investors to sell securities of the
Company to the public without registration ("RULE 144"), the Company agrees to
use its best efforts to:
7.1 comply with the provisions of paragraph (c) (1) of Rule 144 and
7.2 file with the Commission in a timely manner all reports and other
documents required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
under the Exchange Act; and, if at any time it is not required to file such
reports but in the past had been required to or did file such reports, it will,
upon the request of any Investor, make available other information as required
by, and so long as necessary to permit sales of, its Registrable Securities
pursuant to Rule 144.
ARTICLE VIII Assignment
The rights to have the Company register Registrable Securities
pursuant to this Agreement shall be automatically assigned by the Investors to
any permitted transferee of all or any portion of such Registrable Securities
(or all or any portion of the Debenture or Warrant of the Company which is
convertible into such securities) only if (a) the Investor agrees in writing
with the transferee or assignee 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
transferee or assignee and (ii) the securities with respect to which such
registration rights are being transferred or assigned, (c) immediately following
such transfer or assignment, the securities so transferred or assigned to the
transferee or assignee constitute Restricted Securities and (d) at or before the
time the Company received the written notice contemplated by clause (b) of this
sentence the transferee or assignee agrees in writing with the Company to be
bound by all of the provisions contained herein.
ARTICLE IX Amendment and Waiver
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
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prospectively), only with the written consent of the Company and Investors who
hold a majority-in-interest of the Registrable Securities. Any amendment or
waiver effected in accordance with this Section 9 shall be binding upon each
Investor and the Company.
ARTICLE X Changes in Common Stock
If, and as often as, there are any changes in the Common Stock by
way of stock split, stock dividend, reverse split, combination or
reclassification, or through merger, consolidation, reorganization or
recapitalization, or by any other means, appropriate adjustment shall be made in
the provisions hereof, as may be required, so that the rights and privileges
granted hereby shall continue with respect to the Common Stock as so changed.
ARTICLE XI Miscellaneous
(A) A person or entity shall be 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) If, after the date hereof and prior to the Commission
declaring the Registration Statement to be filed pursuant to Section 2(a)
effective under the Securities Act, the Company grants to any Person any
registration rights with respect to any Company securities which are more
favorable to such other Person than those provided in this Agreement, then the
Company forthwith shall grant (by means of an amendment to this Agreement or
otherwise) identical registration rights to all Investors hereunder.
(C) Except as may be otherwise provided herein, any notice or
other communication or delivery required or permitted hereunder shall be in
writing and shall be delivered personally, or sent by telecopier machine or by a
nationally recognized overnight courier service, and shall be deemed given when
so delivered personally, or by telecopier machine or overnight courier service
as follows:
(1) if to the Company, to:
SonicPort, Inc.
00000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx 00000
Telephone: 000-000-0000
Facsimile: 000-000-0000
Attention: Chief Financial Officer
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(2) if to the Buyer, to:
La Jolla Cove Investors, Inc.
0000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 000
Xx Xxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx 00000
Telephone: 000-000-0000
Facsimile: 000-000-0000
(3) if to any other Investor, at such address as such
Investor shall have provided in writing to the Company.
The Company, the Initial Investor or any Investor may change the foregoing
address by notice given pursuant to this Section 11(C).
(D) 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.
(E) This Agreement shall be governed by and interpreted in
accordance with the laws of the State of California. Each of the parties
consents to the jurisdiction of the federal courts whose districts encompass any
part of the City of San Diego or the state courts of the State of California
sitting in the City of San Diego in connection with any dispute arising under
this Agreement and hereby waives, to the maximum extent permitted by law, any
objection including any objection based on forum non conveniens, to the bringing
of any such proceeding in such jurisdictions.
(F) Should any party hereto employ an attorney for the purpose of
enforcing or construing this Agreement, or any judgment based on this Agreement,
in any legal proceeding whatsoever, including insolvency, bankruptcy,
arbitration, declaratory relief or other litigation, the prevailing party shall
be entitled to receive from the other party or parties thereto reimbursement for
all reasonable attorneys' fees and all reasonable costs, including but not
limited to service of process, filing fees, court and court reporter costs,
investigative costs, expert witness fees, and the cost of any bonds, whether
taxable or not, and that such reimbursement shall be included in any judgment or
final order issued in that proceeding. The "prevailing party" means the party
determined by the court to most nearly prevail and not necessarily the one in
whose favor a judgment is rendered.
(G) The remedies provided in this Agreement are cumulative and
not exclusive of any remedies provided by law. If any term, provision, covenant
or restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to
be invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms,
provisions, covenants and restrictions set forth herein shall remain in full
force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated, and
the parties hereto shall use their best efforts to find and employ an
alternative means to achieve the same or substantially the same result as that
contemplated by such term, provision, covenant or restriction. It is hereby
stipulated and declared to be the intention of the parties that they would have
executed the remaining terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions
14
without including any of such that may be hereafter declared invalid, illegal,
void or unenforceable.
(H) The Company shall not enter into any agreement with respect
to its securities that is inconsistent with the rights granted to the holders of
Registrable Securities in this Agreement or otherwise conflicts with the
provisions hereof. The Company is not currently a party to any agreement
granting any registration rights with respect to any of its securities to any
person which conflicts with the Company's obligations hereunder or gives any
other party the right to include any securities in any Registration Statement
filed pursuant hereto, except for such rights and conflicts as have been
irrevocably waived. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, without
the written consent of the holders of a majority in interest of the Registrable
Securities, the Company shall not grant to any person the right to request it to
register any of its securities under the Securities Act unless the rights so
granted are subject in all respect to the prior rights of the holders of
Registrable Securities set forth herein, and are not otherwise in conflict or
inconsistent with the provisions of this Agreement. The restrictions on the
Company's rights to grant registration rights under this paragraph shall
terminate on the date the Registration Statement to be filed pursuant to Section
2(A) is declared effective by the Commission.
(I) This Agreement, the Securities Purchase Agreement, the
Debenture and the Conversion Warrants Agreement, of even date herewith among the
Company and the Initial Investor constitute 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. These Agreements supersede all prior agreements and
undertakings among the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof.
(J) Subject to the requirements of Section 8 hereof, this
Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the successors and
assigns of each of the parties hereto.
(K) All pronouns and any variations thereof refer to the
masculine, feminine or neuter, singular or plural, as the context may require.
(L) The headings in this Agreement are for convenience of
reference only and shall not limit or otherwise affect the meaning thereof.
(M) The Company acknowledges that any failure by the Company to
perform its obligations under Section 3, or any delay in such performance, could
result in direct 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 damages caused by
such failure or delay.
(N) This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which
shall be deemed an original but both of which shall constitute one and the same
agreement. A facsimile transmission of this signed Agreement shall be legal and
binding on the parties hereto.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have duly caused this Agreement
to be executed and delivered on the date first above written.
SonicPort, Inc.
By:
--------------------------------
Name:
Title:
La Jolla Cove Investors, Inc.
By:
--------------------------------
Name:
Title:
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