UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

Form 6-K

 

REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER

PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16 UNDER

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the month of February 2016

 

 

 

Commission File Number: 001-50984

 

 

 

eLong, Inc.

 

 

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

 

Block B, Xingke Plaza Building
10 Middle Jiuxianqiao Road
Chaoyang District
Beijing 10015, People’s Republic of China

(Address of principal executive office)

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.

 

Form 20-F x            Form 40-F ¨

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1):________________

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7):________________

 

 

 

 

On February 4, 2016, the registrant announced that it has entered into a definitive Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”), pursuant to which a consortium of certain of the registrant’s existing shareholders along with Seagull Limited and certain members of management will acquire the registrant. Copies of the press release issued by the registrant regarding the foregoing and of the Merger Agreement are filed herewith as Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2 and are incorporated herein by reference.

 

 

 

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

  ELONG, INC.
       
  By : /s/ Philip Yang
  Name : Philip Yang
  Title : Chief Financial Officer

 

Date: February 4, 2016

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit No.   Description
     
99.1   Press release dated February 4, 2016.
     
99.2   Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of February 4, 2016, by and among China E-dragon Holdings Limited, China E-dragon Mergersub Limited and eLong, Inc.

 

 

 



Exhibit 99.1

 

 

eLong Enters into Definitive Merger Agreement for Going Private Transaction

 

BEIJING, February 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — eLong, Inc. (“eLong” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: LONG), a leading mobile and online travel service provider in China, today announced that it has entered into a definitive Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with China E-dragon Holdings Limited (“Parent”) and China E-dragon Mergersub Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent, pursuant to which Parent will acquire eLong. At the closing of the transaction, Parent will be owned by a consortium of certain of the Company’s existing shareholders (including C-Travel International Limited, TCH Sapphire Limited, Ocean Imagination L.P. and Luxuriant Holdings Limited), along with Seagull Limited and certain management members of eLong (the “Buyer Group”).

 

Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, eLong shareholders other than those in the Buyer Group will receive US$9.00 in cash for each ordinary share of the Company (a “Share”) they hold or US$18.00 in cash for each American Depositary Share, each representing two (2) Shares (an “ADS”) they hold. The price represents a premium of approximately 24% to the closing trading price of the Company’s ADS on July 31, 2015, the last trading day prior to August 3, 2015, the date that the Company announced that it had received a “going-private” proposal from TCH Sapphire Limited, a British Virgin Islands company (“TCH”) that is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tencent Holdings Limited.

 

The Company’s Board of Directors, acting upon the unanimous recommendation of a special committee of the Board of Directors (the “Special Committee”), approved the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby and resolved to recommend that the Company’s shareholders vote to authorize and approve the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby. The Special Committee, which is composed solely of independent directors of the Company who are unaffiliated with any member of the Buyer Group or management of the Company, negotiated the terms of the Merger Agreement with the Buyer Group with the assistance of its independent financial and legal advisors.

 

The closing of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement is subject to a number of customary conditions, including a vote of shareholders representing at least two-thirds of the voting power of the Shares present and vote in person or by proxy as a single class at an extraordinary general meeting of the Company’s shareholders. The Buyer Group agreed to vote all of the Shares beneficially owned by them in favor of the authorization and approval of the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby. The transaction is expected to close before the end of the second quarter of the Company’s FY 2016. If completed, the transaction will result in the Company becoming a privately-held company and its ADSs will no longer be listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.

 

The transaction will be financed through a combination of cash and equity contributed by TCH and Ocean Imagination L.P., rollover of equity by C-Travel International Limited and Luxuriant Holdings Limited, as well as cash investments by Seagull Limited and certain existing members of the management of the Company. To date, the Buyer Group beneficially own, in the aggregate, approximately 78% of the outstanding Shares (excluding outstanding share-based awards).

 

The Company will prepare and file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a Schedule 13E-3 transaction statement, which will include a proxy statement of the Company. The Schedule 13E-3 will include a description of the Merger Agreement and contain other important information about the merger, the Company and the other participants in the merger.

 

Duff & Phelps, LLC and Duff & Phelps Securities, LLC (together, “Duff & Phelps”) are serving as financial advisors to the Special Committee. Kirkland & Ellis is serving as U.S. legal advisor to the Special Committee, Goulston & Storrs PC is serving as U.S. legal advisor to the Company, Conyers Dill & Pearman is serving as Cayman Islands legal advisor to the Company and DaHui Lawyers is serving as PRC legal advisor to the Company. Paul Hastings LLP is serving as U.S. legal advisor to Duff & Phelps.

 

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is serving as U.S. legal advisor to the Buyer Group and Jun He and Walkers are serving as PRC and Cayman Islands legal advisors to the Buyer Group, respectively. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is serving as U.S. legal advisor to C-Travel International Limited, and Fenwick & West LLP is serving as U.S. legal advisor to Ocean Imagination L.P.

 

 

 

About eLong

eLong, Inc. (Nasdaq: LONG) is a leader in mobile and online accommodations reservations in China. eLong technology enables travelers to book hotels, guesthouses, apartments and other accommodations, as well as air and train tickets, through convenient mobile and tablet applications, websites (www.eLong.com), 24 hour customer service, and easy to use tools such as destination guides, maps and user reviews.

 

Safe Harbor Statement

 

Any statements in this announcement about prospective performance and plans for the Company, the expected timing to completion of the proposed merger and the ability to complete the proposed merger, and any other statements containing the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “predict,” “future,” “is/are likely to,” “should” and “will” and similar expressions, other than historical facts, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are, by their nature, subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual performance and results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect our actual results and cause our actual results to differ materially from those referred to in any forward-looking statement include, but are not limited to, (a) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement, (b) the inability to complete the proposed merger due to the failure to obtain shareholder approval for the proposed merger or the failure to satisfy other conditions to completion of the proposed merger, (c) the failure to obtain any necessary financing arrangements set forth in the equity commitment letters delivered pursuant to the merger agreement, (d) risks related to disruption of management’s attention from the Company’s ongoing business operations due to the transaction, and (e) the effect of the announcement of the proposed merger on the Company’s relationship with its customers, operating results and business generally. Additional factors that may cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements are set forth in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014, which was filed with the SEC on March 13, 2015, under the heading “Part I - Item 3 - Risk Factors,” and in subsequent reports on Form 6-K filed with the SEC by the Company.

 

In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this announcement represent our views as of the date hereof. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our views to change. However, while we may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date hereof.

 

Contact:

 

eLong, Inc.

Investor Relations

ir@corp.elong.com

+86-10-6436-7570

 

 



  

Exhibit 99.2 

 

Execution Version

 

 

 

AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER

 

by and among

 

CHINA E-DRAGON HOLDINGS LIMITED,

 

CHINA E-DRAGON MERGERSUB LIMITED

 

and

 

ELONG, INC.

 

dated as of

 

February 4, 2016

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

    Page
     
ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION 2
     
Section 1.1 Certain Definitions 2
Section 1.2 Terms Defined Elsewhere 10
Section 1.3 Interpretation 12
     
ARTICLE II THE MERGER 13
     
Section 2.1 The Merger 13
Section 2.2 Closing 14
Section 2.3 Effective Time 14
Section 2.4 Effects of the Merger 14
Section 2.5 Directors and Officers 14
Section 2.6 Governing Documents 14
     
ARTICLE III TREATMENT OF SECURITIES 15
     
Section 3.1 Treatment of Shares 15
Section 3.2 Payment for Securities; Surrender of Certificates 16
Section 3.3 Dissenter’s Rights 18
Section 3.4 Treatment of Equity Awards 19
Section 3.5 Withholding 21
Section 3.6 Termination of Deposit Agreement 21
Section 3.7 Agreement of Fair Value 21
     
ARTICLE IV REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY 22
     
Section 4.1 Organization and Qualification; Subsidiaries 22
Section 4.2 Capitalization 23
Section 4.3 Authorization; Validity of Agreement; Company Action 24
Section 4.4 Board Approval 24
Section 4.5 Consents and Approvals; No Violations 25
Section 4.6 SEC Documents and Financial Statements 25
Section 4.7 Internal Controls; Sarbanes-Oxley Act 26
Section 4.8 Absence of Certain Changes 26
Section 4.9 No Undisclosed Liabilities 27
Section 4.10 PRC Subsidiaries 27
Section 4.11 Litigation 28
Section 4.12 Benefits 28
Section 4.13 Labor 29
Section 4.14 Taxes 29
Section 4.15 Contracts 31
Section 4.16 Environmental Matters 32
Section 4.17 Intellectual Property 33
Section 4.18 Compliance with Laws; Permits 35
Section 4.19 Properties 36

 

 

 

 

Section 4.20 Information in the Proxy Statement 36
Section 4.21 Opinion of Financial Advisors 37
Section 4.22 Insurance 37
Section 4.23 Brokers; Expenses 37
Section 4.24 Anti-Takeover Provisions 37
Section 4.25 No Other Representations or Warranties 37
     
ARTICLE V REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF PARENT AND MERGER SUB 38
     
Section 5.1 Organization and Qualification; Subsidiaries 38
Section 5.2 Merger Sub 38
Section 5.3 Authorization; Validity of Agreement; Parent Action 39
Section 5.4 Consents and Approvals; No Violations 39
Section 5.5 Available Funds and Equity Financing 40
Section 5.6 Limited Guarantees 41
Section 5.7 Litigation 41
Section 5.8 Brokers; Expenses 41
Section 5.9 Investigation; Limitation on Warranties; Disclaimer of Other Representations and Warranties 41
Section 5.10 No Other Representations or Warranties 42
Section 5.11 Ownership of Equity Interests 42
Section 5.12 Parent Group Contracts 42
Section 5.13 No Secured Creditors; Solvency 42
     
ARTICLE VI CONDUCT OF BUSINESS PENDING THE MERGER 43
     
Section 6.1 Conduct of Business by the Company Pending the Closing 43
Section 6.2 Non-Solicit; Change in Recommendation 47
Section 6.3 Proxy Statement and Schedule 13E-3 51
Section 6.4 Shareholder Meeting 52
     
ARTICLE VII ADDITIONAL AGREEMENTS 54
     
Section 7.1 Access; Confidentiality; Notice of Certain Events 54
Section 7.2 Efforts; Consents and Approvals 54
Section 7.3 Publicity 56
Section 7.4 Directors’ and Officers’ Insurance and Indemnification 56
Section 7.5 Takeover Statutes 59
Section 7.6 Control of Operations 59
Section 7.7 Security Holder Litigation 59
Section 7.8 Director Resignations 59
Section 7.9 Corporate Matters 59
Section 7.10 Stock Exchange Delisting 59
Section 7.11 Financing 60
Section 7.12 Management 61
Section 7.13 Parent/Merger Sub/Rollover Shareholder Actions 61

 

 ii 

 

 

ARTICLE VIII CONDITIONS TO CONSUMMATION OF THE MERGER 61
     
Section 8.1 Conditions to Each Party’s Obligations to Effect the Merger 61
Section 8.2 Conditions to Obligations of Parent and Merger Sub 62
Section 8.3 Conditions to Obligations of the Company 62
Section 8.4 Frustration of Closing Conditions 63
     
ARTICLE IX TERMINATION 63
     
Section 9.1 Termination 63
Section 9.2 Effect of Termination 65
     
ARTICLE X MISCELLANEOUS 67
     
Section 10.1 Amendment and Modification; Waiver 67
Section 10.2 Non-Survival of Representations and Warranties 68
Section 10.3 Expenses 68
Section 10.4 Notices 68
Section 10.5 Counterparts 69
Section 10.6 Entire Agreement; Third-Party Beneficiaries 70
Section 10.7 Severability 70
Section 10.8 Governing Law; Jurisdiction 70
Section 10.9 Waiver of Jury Trial 71
Section 10.10 Assignment 71
Section 10.11 Enforcement; Remedies 71

 

Exhibit A Plan of Merger

 

 iii 

 

 

AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER

 

This AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER (hereinafter referred to as this “Agreement”), dated February 4, 2016, is by and among China E-dragon Holdings Limited, an exempted company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the Cayman Islands (“Parent”), China E-dragon Mergersub Limited, an exempted company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the Cayman Islands and a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (“Merger Sub”), and eLong, Inc., an exempted company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Company”). Parent, Merger Sub and the Company are each sometimes referred to herein as a “Party” and collectively as the “Parties”. All capitalized terms used in this Agreement shall have the meaning ascribed to such terms in Section 1.1 or as otherwise defined elsewhere in this Agreement unless the context clearly provides otherwise.

 

 

RECITALS

 

WHEREAS, the Parties wish to effect a business combination through a merger of the Merger Sub with and into the Company in accordance with CICL, with the Company being the surviving entity and becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (the “Merger”);

 

WHEREAS, the board of directors of the Company (the “Company Board”), acting upon the unanimous recommendation of the a committee established by the Company Board (the “Special Committee”), has (a) determined that the execution by the Company of this Agreement and the Plan of Merger and consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Plan of Merger, including the Merger (collectively, the “Transactions”), are fair to and in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders (other than the Rollover Shareholders (as defined below)), (b) approved and declared advisable the Merger, the other Transactions, this Agreement and the Plan of Merger and (c) resolved to recommend in favor of the authorization and approval of this Agreement, the Plan of Merger and the Transactions to the holders of Shares (the “Company Board Recommendation”) and to include such recommendation in the Proxy Statement (as defined herein) and direct that this Agreement, the Plan of Merger and the Transactions be submitted to the holders of Shares for authorization and approval at the Shareholder Meeting;

 

 

WHEREAS, the board of directors of each of Parent and Merger Sub has (a) approved the execution, delivery and performance by Parent and Merger Sub, respectively, of this Agreement, the Plan of Merger and the consummation of the Transactions and (b) declared it advisable for Parent and Merger Sub, respectively, to enter into this Agreement and the Plan of Merger and to consummate the Transactions and the sole member of Merger Sub has authorized and approved the Plan of Merger by special resolution;

 

WHEREAS, concurrently with the execution and delivery of this Agreement, TCH Sapphire Limited, C-Travel International Limited, Ocean Imagination L.P. and Luxuriant Holdings Limited (collectively, the “Rollover Shareholders”) and Parent have executed and delivered a support agreement, dated as of the date hereof (the “Support Agreement”), providing that, amongst other things and subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein, (a) the Rollover Shareholders will vote all Shares held directly or indirectly by them in favor of the authorization and approval of this Agreement, the Plan of Merger and the Transactions, and (b) the Rollover Shareholders agree, upon the terms and subject to the conditions in the Support Agreement, to receive no consideration for cancellation of the Rollover Shares in accordance with this Agreement, and to subscribe for or otherwise receive newly issued shares of Parent at or immediately prior to the Effective Time;

 

 

 

 

WHEREAS, concurrently with the execution and delivery of this Agreement, each of the Executive Equityholders has entered into a letter agreement, dated as of the date hereof, with Parent (each, an “Executive Excluded Securities Letter,” and collectively, the “Executive Excluded Securities Letters”), providing for, amongst other things, the treatment of the Executive Excluded Options and Executive Excluded RSU Awards held by such Executive Equityholder in connection with the Merger;

 

WHEREAS, concurrently with the execution and delivery of this Agreement, Mr. Cui Guangfu (“Mr. Cui”), the Company, Parent and Merger Sub have executed a letter agreement dated as of the date hereof (the “Former CEO Letter Agreement”) providing for, amongst other things, the treatment of the Former CEO Unvested RSU Awards in connection with the Merger;

 

WHEREAS, concurrently with the execution of this Agreement, each of the Guarantors has executed and delivered a limited guarantee in favor of the Company with respect to certain obligations of Parent under this Agreement (each, a “Limited Guarantee,” and collectively, the “Limited Guarantees”); and

 

WHEREAS, Parent, Merger Sub and the Company desire to make certain representations, warranties, covenants and agreements in connection with the Merger and also prescribe various conditions to the Merger.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements contained in this Agreement and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties agree as follows:

 

ARTICLE I

 

DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION

 

Section 1.1           Certain Definitions. For the purposes of this Agreement, the term:

 

Acceptable Confidentiality Agreement” means a confidentiality agreement that contains terms that are no less favorable in the aggregate to the Company, than those contained in the Confidentiality Agreements; provided, that such agreement and any related agreements shall not include any provision calling for any exclusive right to negotiate with such party or having the effect of prohibiting the Company from satisfying its obligations under this Agreement.

 

Affiliate” means, as to any Person, any Person which directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with such Person. For purposes of this definition and the definition of “Subsidiary” or “Subsidiaries,” “control” of a Person shall mean the power, direct or indirect, to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such Person whether by ownership of voting equity, by contract or otherwise.

 

2

 

 

Benefit Plan” means any employment, consulting, termination, severance, change in control, separation, retention, stock option, restricted stock, profits interest unit, outperformance, stock purchase, deferred compensation, bonus, incentive compensation, fringe benefit, health, medical, dental, disability, accident, life insurance, welfare benefit, cafeteria, vacation, paid time off, perquisite, retirement, pension, or savings or any other compensation or employee benefit plan, agreement, program, policy or other arrangement for the benefit of any current or former employee, director, officer or consultant of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

 

business days” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which the banks in New York, New York, the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong or the People’s Republic of China are authorized by law or executive order to be closed.

 

Company Equity Plans” means, collectively, the Company’s (i) 2009 Share and Annual Incentive Plan, as amended September 18, 2013 and (ii) Stock and Annual Incentive Plan adopted in July 2004.

 

Company Financial Advisor” means Duff & Phelps Securities, LLC and Duff & Phelps, LLC.

 

Company Governing Documents” means the Company’s third amended and restated memorandum and articles of association adopted by special resolutions of shareholders of the Company on December 29, 2010.

 

Company IP Rights” means (a) any and all Intellectual Property used in the conduct of the business of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries as currently conducted, and (b) any and all other Intellectual Property owned by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

 

Company Option” means an option to purchase Shares granted under the Company Equity Plans in accordance with the terms thereof, whether or not such option has become vested on or prior to the Closing Date.

 

Company-Owned IP Rights” means Company IP Rights that are owned by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

 

Company Products” means all products and services produced, marketed, licensed, sold, distributed or performed by or on behalf of the Company and all products and services currently under development by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

 

Company Registered Intellectual Property” means all United States, international and foreign (a) patents and patent applications (including provisional applications), (b) registered trademarks and service marks, applications to register trademarks and service marks (including intent-to-use applications), or other registrations or applications related to trademarks and service marks, (c) registered Internet domain names, (d) registered copyrights and applications for copyright registration, and (e) any other Intellectual Property that is the subject of an application, certificate, filing, registration or other document issued, filed with, or recorded by any governmental authority owned by, registered or filed in the name of, the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

 

3

 

 

Company RSU Award” means an award of performance units with respect to Shares or a restricted share unit granted under the Company Equity Plans in accordance with the terms thereof, entitling the holder thereof to Ordinary Shares or cash equal to or based on the value of Ordinary Shares, that vests on the basis of time or the achievement of applicable performance goals.

 

Company Source Code” means, collectively, any software source code or confidential manufacturing specifications or designs, any material portion or aspect of software source code or confidential manufacturing specifications or designs, or any material proprietary information or algorithm contained in or relating to any software source code or confidential manufacturing specifications or designs, of any Company-Owned IP Rights or Company Products.

 

Confidentiality Agreements” means, collectively, (i) the confidentiality agreement, dated September 21, 2015, between Tencent Limited and the Company, (ii) the confidentiality agreement, dated September 29, 2015, between Ocean Imagination L.P. and the Company, and (iii) the confidentiality agreement, dated October 14, 2015, between C-Travel International Limited and the Company.

 

Consortium Agreement” means, that certain consortium agreement, dated as of September 18, 2015, among TCH Sapphire Limited, C-Travel International Limited and Ocean Imagination L.P.

 

Effect” means any change, effect, development, circumstance, condition, state of facts, event or occurrence.

 

eLongNet” means eLongNet Information Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. (艺龙网信息技术(北京)有限公司).

 

Environmental Law” means, whenever in effect, any Law (i) relating to pollution, the protection or clean-up of the environment, the preservation or protection of waterways, groundwater, drinking water, wildlife, plants or other natural resources, public health and safety, occupational health and safety or fire safety or (ii) impose liability or responsibility with respect to any of the foregoing.

 

Environmental Permits” means any material permit, license, authorization or approval required under applicable Environmental Laws.

 

Excluded Shares” means, collectively, (a) the Rollover Shares, (b) Shares (including Shares represented by ADSs) held by Parent, the Company or any of their respective Subsidiaries, and (c) Shares (including Shares represented by ADSs) held by the Depository and reserved for issuance, settlement and allocation upon exercise or vesting of Company Options and/or Company RSU Awards.

 

4

 

 

Executive Equityholders” means the individuals set forth on Section 1.1(a) of the Disclosure Letter. 

 

Executive Excluded Options” means, collectively, the Company Options as set forth on Section 1.1(b) of the Disclosure Schedule opposite the name of each Executive Equityholder, that are outstanding (whether vested or unvested) immediately prior to the Effective Time.

 

Executive Excluded RSU Award Securities” means, collectively, the Company RSU Awards as set forth on Section 1.1(c) of the Disclosure Schedule opposite the name of each Executive Equityholder, that are outstanding (whether vested or unvested) immediately prior to the Effective Time.

 

Exercise Price” means, with respect to any Company Option, the applicable exercise price per Share underlying such Company Option.

 

Expenses” means all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses (including all fees and expenses of counsel, accountants, investment bankers, experts and consultants to a Party and its Affiliates) incurred by a Party or on its behalf in connection with or related to the authorization, preparation, negotiation, execution and performance of this Agreement, the preparation, printing, filing and mailing of the Schedule 13E-3 and the Proxy Statement, the solicitation of shareholders and shareholder approvals, shareholder litigation, the filing of any required notices under any applicable competition or investment Laws, any filings with the SEC and all other matters related to the closing of the Merger and the other Transactions.

 

Former CEO Unvested RSU Awards” means the Company RSU Awards set out in Section 1.1(d) of the Disclosure Letter that are held by Mr. Cui as of the date hereof, to the extent such Company RSU Awards remain outstanding and unvested immediately prior to the Effective Time.

 

Government Official” means any officer, employee or other individual acting in an official capacity for a Governmental Entity or agency or instrumentality thereof (including any state-owned or controlled enterprise).

 

Guarantors” means Tencent Asset Management Limited, C-Travel International Limited and Ocean Imagination L.P.

 

High-Vote Ordinary Shares” means the ordinary shares of the Company that are designated “High-Vote Ordinary Shares” with a par value of $0.01 per share.

 

5

 

 

Indebtedness” means with respect to any Person, (a) all indebtedness, notes payable, accrued interest payable or other obligations for borrowed money, whether secured or unsecured and whether or not contingent, (b) all obligations under conditional sale or other title retention agreements, or incurred as financing, in either case with respect to property acquired by such Person, (c) all obligations issued, undertaken or assumed as the deferred purchase price for any property or assets, (d) all obligations under capital leases, (e) all obligations in respect of bankers acceptances, letters of credit, or similar instruments, (f) all obligations under interest rate cap, swap, collar or similar transaction or currency hedging transactions, and (g) any guarantee of any of the foregoing, whether or not evidenced by a note, mortgage, bond, indenture or similar instrument.

 

Intellectual Property” means any and all proprietary, industrial and intellectual property rights and all rights associated therewith, throughout the world, including all patents and applications therefor and all reissues, divisions, renewals, extensions, provisionals, continuations and continuations-in-part thereof, all inventions (whether patentable or not), invention disclosures, improvements, trade secrets, proprietary information, know how, technology, technical data, proprietary processes and formulae, algorithms, specifications, customer lists and supplier lists, all industrial designs and any registrations and applications therefor, all trade names, logos, trade dress, trademarks and service marks, trademark and service mark registrations, trademark and service mark applications, and any and all goodwill associated with and symbolized by the foregoing items, Internet domain name registrations, Internet and World Wide Web URLs or addresses, social media names, all copyrights, copyright registrations and applications therefor, and all other rights corresponding thereto, all mask works, mask work registrations and applications therefor, and any equivalent or similar rights in semiconductor masks, layouts, architectures or topology, all computer software, including all source code, object code, firmware, development tools, files, records and data, all schematics, netlists, test methodologies, test vectors, emulation and simulation tools and reports, hardware development tools, and all rights in prototypes, breadboards and other devices, all databases and data collections and all rights therein, all moral and economic rights of authors and inventors, however denominated, and any similar or equivalent rights to any of the foregoing, and all tangible embodiments of the foregoing.

 

Interim Investors Agreement” means, that certain interim investors agreement, dated as of the date hereof, among Parent, Merger Sub, the Rollover Shareholders, Seagull Limited, Oasis Limited and Zhou Rong (周荣).

 

knowledge” will be deemed to be, as the case may be, the actual knowledge, following reasonable inquiry, of (a) with respect to the Company, Mr. Jiang Hao (江浩), the Company’s chief executive officer, or Mr. Philip Yang (杨锐志), the Company’s chief financial officer, or (b) with respect to Parent or Merger Sub, any director or executive officer thereof.

 

Law” means any federal, state, local, national, supranational, foreign or administrative law (including common law), statute, code, rule, regulation, Order, ordinance or other pronouncement of any Governmental Entity.

 

Lien” means any lien, pledge, hypothecation, mortgage, security interest, encumbrance, claim, infringement, interference, option, right of first refusal, preemptive right, community property interest or restriction of any nature (including any restriction on the voting of any security, any restriction on the transfer of any security or other asset, or any restriction on the possession, exercise or transfer of any other attribute of ownership of any asset).

 

6

 

 

Material Adverse Effect” means any Effect that, individually or in the aggregate, has had or would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the assets, properties, liabilities, financial condition, business or results of operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or materially delay or prevent the consummation of the Transactions; provided, however, that no Effects to the extent resulting or arising from the following, either alone or in combination, shall be deemed to constitute a Material Adverse Effect or shall be taken into account when determining whether a Material Adverse Effect has occurred or would reasonably be expected to occur: (a) conditions (or changes therein) that are the result of factors generally affecting any industry or industries in which the Company operates, (b) general economic, political and/or regulatory conditions (or changes therein), including any changes effecting financial, credit or capital market conditions, including changes in interest or exchange rates, (c) any change in GAAP or interpretation thereof, (d) any adoption, implementation, promulgation, repeal, modification, amendment, reinterpretation, or other change in any applicable Law of or by any Governmental Entity, (e) any actions taken, or the failure to take any action, as required by the terms of this Agreement or at the request or with the consent of Parent or Merger Sub and any Effect directly attributable to the negotiation, execution or announcement of this Agreement and the Transactions (including the Merger), including any litigation arising therefrom (including any litigation arising from allegations of a breach of duty or violation of applicable Law), and any adverse change in customer, employee (including employee departures), supplier, financing source, lessee, licensor, licensee, sub-licensee, shareholder, joint venture partner or similar relationship resulting therefrom, including as a result of the identity of Parent, (f) changes in the price or trading volume of the Shares and/or ADSs (it being understood that the facts or occurrences giving rise or contributing to such changes that are not otherwise excluded from the definition of a “Material Adverse Effect” may be taken into account), (g) any failure by the Company to meet any internal or published projections, estimates or expectations of the Company’s revenue, earnings or other financial performance or results of operations for any period (it being understood that the facts or occurrences giving rise or contributing to such failure that are not otherwise excluded from the definition of a “Material Adverse Effect” may be taken into account), (h) Effects arising out of changes in geopolitical conditions, acts of terrorism or sabotage, war (whether or not declared), the commencement, continuation or escalation of a war, acts of armed hostility, earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, or other weather conditions or natural calamities or other force majeure events, including any material worsening of such conditions threatened or existing as of the date of this Agreement, (i) any reduction in the credit rating of the Company or its Subsidiaries (it being understood that the facts or occurrences giving rise or contributing to such reduction or any consequences resulting from such reduction that are not otherwise excluded from the definition of a “Material Adverse Effect” may be taken into account), and (j) Effects resulting solely from the identity of, or any facts or circumstances relating to Parent, Merger Sub, the Guarantors or any of their respective Affiliates, provided that if any Effect described in clauses (a), (b), (c), (d), and (h) has had a materially disproportionate adverse impact on the Company relative to other companies of comparable size to the Company operating in the industry or industries in which the Company operates, then the incremental impact of such event shall be taken into account for the purpose of determining whether a Material Adverse Effect has occurred.

 

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Order” means any order, judgment, writ, stipulation, settlement, award, injunction, decree, consent decree, decision, ruling, subpoena, verdict, or arbitration award entered, issued, made or rendered by any arbitrator or Governmental Entity of competent jurisdiction.

 

Ordinary Shares” means the ordinary shares of the Company that are designated as “Ordinary Shares” with a par value of $0.01 per share.

 

Outside Date” means August 4, 2016.

 

Permitted Liens” means any (a) Liens that result from any statutory or other Liens for Taxes or assessments that are not yet due or payable or subject to penalty or the validity of which is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which there are adequate reserves (to the extent such reserves are required pursuant to GAAP), (b) zoning regulations, permits and licenses, (c) any cashiers’, landlords’, workers’, mechanics’, carriers’, workmen’s, repairmen’s and materialmen’s Liens and other similar Liens imposed by Law and incurred in the ordinary course of business that are not yet subject to penalty or the validity of which is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings, (d) with respect to real property, non-monetary Liens or other minor imperfections of title, (e) rights of parties in possession, (f) ordinary course, non-exclusive licenses of Intellectual Property, (g) pledges or deposits to secure obligations under workers’ compensation Laws or similar legislation or to secure public or statutory obligations, (h) pledges and deposits to secure the performance of bids, trade contracts, leases, surety and appeal bonds, performance bonds and other obligations of a similar nature, in each case in the ordinary course of business, (i) Liens securing Indebtedness that are reflected in the SEC Documents filed or furnished prior to the date hereof or are otherwise disclosed in the Disclosure Letter; and (j) Liens set forth in the contractual arrangements through which the Company controls the VIEs and their respective Subsidiaries.

 

Person” means a natural person, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, business trust, joint stock company, trust, unincorporated association, joint venture, Governmental Entity or other entity or organization.

 

Personal Information” means individually−identifiable information from or about an individual, including an individual’s: first and last name, home or other physical address, including street name and city or town; telephone number, including home telephone number and mobile telephone number; email address or other online contact information, such as a user identifier or screen name; photograph; financial account number or credit card number; tax identification number, social security number, driver’s license number, passport number or other government−issued identifier; employee identification number; persistent identifier, such as IP address or other unique identifier associated with a person, device or web browser; list of contacts; physical location; or any other information deemed to be personally identifiable information pursuant to applicable Law.

 

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PRC” means the People’s Republic of China, which for the purposes of this Agreement only shall not include the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macau Special Administrative Region and Taiwan.

 

Preferred Shares” means the preferred shares of the Company with par value of $0.01 each.

 

Representatives” means, when used with respect to Parent, Merger Sub or the Company, the directors, officers, financing sources, employees, consultants, financial advisors, accountants, legal counsel, investment bankers, and other agents, advisors and representatives of Parent or the Company, as applicable, and their respective Subsidiaries.

 

Rollover Shares” means 24,909,597 Ordinary Shares and 33,589,204 High-Vote Ordinary Shares owned by the Rollover Shareholders.

 

Shareholder Approval” means the affirmative vote of the holders of Shares representing at least two-thirds of the voting power of the outstanding Shares entitled to vote at the Shareholder Meeting voting in person or by proxy as a single class to approve this Agreement, the Plan of Merger and the Transactions in accordance with the CICL and the Company Governing Documents.

 

Shareholder Meeting” means the meeting of the holders of Shares for the purpose of seeking the Shareholder Approval, including any postponement or adjournment thereof.

 

Shares” means the Ordinary Shares, the High-Vote Ordinary Shares and the Preferred Shares.

 

Sponsors” means Tencent Asset Management Limited, Ocean Imagination L.P., Seagull Limited, Jiang Hao (江浩) and Zhou Rong (周荣).

 

Subsidiary” or “Subsidiaries” means with respect to any Person, any corporation, limited liability company, partnership or other organization, whether incorporated or unincorporated, of which (a) at least a majority of the outstanding shares of capital stock of, or other equity interests, having by their terms ordinary voting power to elect a majority of the board of directors or others performing similar functions with respect to such corporation or other organization is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by such Person or by any one or more of its Subsidiaries, or by such Person and one or more of its Subsidiaries, or (b) with respect to a partnership, such Person or any other Subsidiary of such Person is a general partner of such partnership.

 

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Tax” or “Taxes” means any and all taxes, levies, duties, tariffs, imposts and other similar charges and fees (together with any and all interest, penalties, additions to tax and additional amounts imposed with respect thereto) imposed by any Governmental Entity that administers Taxes, including income, franchise, windfall or other profits, gross receipts, premiums, property, sales, use, net worth, capital stock, payroll, employment, social security, workers’ compensation, unemployment compensation, excise, withholding, ad valorem, stamp, transfer, value-added, gains tax and license, registration and documentation fees, severance, occupation, environmental, customs duties, disability, real property, personal property, registration, alternative or add-on minimum, or estimated tax, including any interest, penalty, or addition thereto, whether disputed or not.

 

Tax Return” means any report, return, certificate, claim for refund, election, estimated tax filing or declaration filed or required to be filed with any Governmental Entity that administers Taxes with respect to Taxes, including any schedule or attachment thereto, and including any amendments thereof.

 

Third-Party Intellectual Property Rights” means any Intellectual Property owned by a Person other than the Company and its Subsidiaries.

 

VIEs” means, collectively, Beijing eLong Information Technology Co., Ltd. (北京艺龙信息技术有限公司), Beijing Asia Media Interactive Advertising Co., Ltd. (北京亚洲互动广告传播有限公司) and Beijing eLong Air Services Co., Ltd. (北京艺龙航空服务有限公司), and each, a “VIE”.

 

Willful Breach” means a deliberate act or a deliberate failure to act, which act or failure to act constitutes a material breach of this Agreement, regardless of whether breaching was the object of the act or failure to act.

 

Section 1.2           Terms Defined Elsewhere. The following terms are defined elsewhere in this Agreement, as indicated below:

 

“Adverse Recommendation Change”   Section 6.2(c)
“ADS”   Section 3.1(b)
“Agreement”   Preamble
“Alternative Acquisition Agreement”   Section 6.2(a)
“Alternative Financing”   Section 7.11(b)
“Alternative Financing Commitments”   Section 7.11(b)
“Arbitrator”   Section 10.8(b)
“Base Premium”   Section 7.4(d)
“CICL”   Section 2.1
“Closing”   Section 2.2
“Closing Date”   Section 2.2
“Company”   Preamble
“Company Benefit Plans”   Section 4.12(a)
“Company Board”   Recitals
“Company Board Recommendation”   Recitals

 

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“Company Equity Interests”   Section 4.2(a)
“Company Group”   Section 9.2(h)
“Company Permits”   Section 4.18(b)
“Company Properties”   Section 4.19(a)
“Company Termination Fee”   Section 9.2(e)
“Competing Proposal”   Section 6.2(g)
“Competition Laws”   Section 4.5
“Confidential Information”   Section 4.17(i)
“Contract”   Section 4.15(a)
“Covered Persons”   Section 7.4(a)
“Deposit Agreement”   Section 3.6
“Depositary”   Section 3.6
“Dissenting Shareholders”   Section 3.3(a)
“Dissenting Shares”   Section 3.3(a)
“Disclosure Letter”   Article IV
“Effective Time”   Section 2.3
“Enforceability Exceptions”   Section 4.3
“Equity Commitment Letters”   Section 5.5(a)
“Equity Financing”   Section 5.5(a)
“Exchange Act”   Section 4.5
“Exchange Fund”   Section 3.2(a)
“Executive Excluded Securities Letter(s)”   Recitals
“Financial Statements”   Section 4.6(b)
“Financing”   Section 5.5(a)
“Financing Commitments”   Section 5.5(a)
“Former CEO Letter Agreement”   Recitals
“GAAP”   Section 4.6(b)
“Governmental Entity”   Section 4.5
“HKIAC”   Section 10.8(b)
“Indemnification Agreements”   Section 7.4(a)
“IP Rights Agreements”   Section 4.17(d)
“Legal Proceeding”   Section 4.11
“Lenders”   Section 5.5(a)
“Limited Guarantees”   Recitals
“Material Contract”   Section 4.15(b)
“Merger”   Recitals
“Merger Consideration”   Section 3.2(a)
“Merger Sub”   Preamble
“Mr. Cui”   Recitals
“NASDAQ”   Section 4.2(a)
“Non-Required Remedy”   Section 7.2(e)
“Open Source Materials”   Section 4.17(j)
“Option Consideration”   Section 3.4(a)
“Parent”   Preamble
“Parent Disclosure Letter”   Article V
“Parent Group”   Section 9.2(h)

 

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“Parent Group Contracts”   Section 5.12
“Parent Option”   Section 3.4(c)(i)
“Parent RSU Award”   Section 3.4(c)(ii)
“Parent Termination Fee”   Section 9.2(f)
“Parties”   Preamble
“Paying Agent”   Section 3.2(a)
“Pending Acquisitions”   Section 6.1(e)
“Per ADS Merger Consideration”   Section 3.1(b)
“Per Share Merger Consideration”   Section 3.1(a)
“Plan of Merger”   Section 2.3
“PRC Subsidiaries”   Section 4.10(a)
“Proxy Statement”   Section 4.5
“Record ADS Holders”   Section 6.4(a)
“Record Date”   Section 6.4(a)
“Rollover Shareholders”   Recitals
“RSU Award Consideration”   Section 3.4(b)
“Rules”   Section 10.8(b)
“Sarbanes-Oxley Act”   Section 4.6(a)
“Schedule 13E-3”   Section 6.3(a)
“SEC”   Section 4.5
“SEC Documents”   Section 4.6(a)
“Securities Act”   Section 4.6(a)
“Share Certificates”   Section 3.2(b)(i)
“Special Committee”   Recitals
“Superior Proposal”   Section 6.2(h)
“Support Agreement”   Recitals
“Surviving Entity”   Section 2.1
“Takeover Statutes”   Section 4.24
“Transaction Litigation”   Section 7.7
“Transactions”   Recitals
“Uncertificated Shares”   Section 3.2(b)(i)
“VIE Contracts”   Section 4.10(c)

 

Section 1.3           Interpretation. Unless the express context otherwise requires:

 

(a)          the words “hereof,” “herein,” and “hereunder” and words of similar import, when used in this Agreement, shall refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular provision of this Agreement;

 

(b)          terms defined in the singular shall have a comparable meaning when used in the plural, and vice versa;

 

(c)          the terms “Dollars” and “$” mean United States Dollars;

 

(d)          references herein to a specific Section, Subsection, Recital, Schedule or Exhibit shall refer, respectively, to Sections, Subsections, Recitals, Schedules or Exhibits of this Agreement;

 

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(e)          wherever the word “include,” “includes,” or “including” is used in this Agreement, it shall be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation”;

 

(f)          references herein to any gender shall include each other gender;

 

(g)          references herein to any Person shall include such Person’s heirs, executors, personal representatives, administrators, successors and assigns; provided, however, that nothing contained in this clause (g) is intended to authorize any assignment or transfer not otherwise permitted by this Agreement;

 

(h)          references herein to a Person in a particular capacity or capacities shall exclude such Person in any other capacity;

 

(i)          references herein to any contract (including this Agreement) mean such Contract as amended, supplemented or modified from time to time in accordance with the terms thereof;

 

(j)          with respect to the determination of any period of time, the word “from” means “from and including” and the words “to” and “until” each means “to but excluding”;

 

(k)          references herein to any Law or any license mean such Law or license as amended, modified, codified, reenacted, supplemented or superseded in whole or in part, and in effect from time to time;

 

(l)          references herein to any Law shall be deemed also to refer to all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder;

 

(m)          any item shall be considered “made available” to Parent or Merger Sub, to the extent such phrase appears in this Agreement, if such item has been provided in writing (including via electronic mail) to such Party, posted by the Company or its Representatives in the electronic data room established by the Company or, in the case of any documents filed with the SEC, filed by the Company with the SEC at least two business days prior to the date hereof; and

 

(n)          The Parties agree that they have been represented by counsel during the negotiation and execution of this Agreement and, therefore, waive the application of any Law, regulation, holding or rule of construction providing that ambiguities in an agreement or other document will be construed against the party drafting such agreement or document.

 

ARTICLE II

 

THE MERGER

 

Section 2.1           The Merger. Upon the terms and subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions set forth in this Agreement, and in accordance with the Cayman Islands Companies Law Cap. 22 (Law 3 of 1961, as consolidated and revised) (the “CICL”), at the Effective Time, Merger Sub shall be merged with and into the Company, whereupon Merger Sub will cease to exist and will be struck off the register of companies in the Cayman Islands, with the Company surviving the Merger (the Company, as the surviving entity in the Merger, sometimes being referred to herein as the “Surviving Entity”), such that following the Merger, the Surviving Entity will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent.

 

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Section 2.2           Closing. The closing of the Merger (the “Closing”) will take place at 10:00 a.m., New York time, at the New York offices of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP on the tenth (10th) business day after the satisfaction or waiver of the last of the conditions set forth in Article VIII to be satisfied or if permissible, waived (other than any such conditions that by their nature are to be satisfied at the Closing, but subject to the satisfaction or, if applicable, waiver of such conditions at the Closing), or at such other date or place as is agreed to in writing by the Company and Parent. The date on which the Closing actually takes place is referred to as the “Closing Date.”

 

Section 2.3           Effective Time. On the Closing Date, the Company and Merger Sub shall (a) cause the plan of merger with respect to the Merger (the “Plan of Merger”) substantially in form set out in Exhibit A attached hereto, to be duly executed and filed with the Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands as provided by Section 233 of the CICL, and (b) make any other filings, recordings or publications required to be made by the Company or Merger Sub under the CICL in connection with the Merger. The Merger shall become effective at the time specified in the Plan of Merger in accordance with the CICL (such date and time being hereinafter referred to as the “Effective Time”).

 

Section 2.4           Effects of the Merger. At the Effective Time, the Merger shall have the effects specified in the CICL. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, and subject thereto, at the Effective Time, the Surviving Entity shall succeed to and assume all the rights, property of every description, including choses in action, and the business, undertaking, goodwill, benefits, immunities and privileges, mortgages, charges or security interests and all contracts, obligations, claims, debts and liabilities of the Company and Merger Sub in accordance with the CICL.

 

Section 2.5           Directors and Officers. The parties hereto shall take all actions necessary so that (a) the directors of Merger Sub immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be the initial directors of the Surviving Entity upon the Effective Time, and (b) the officers of the Company immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be the initial officers of the Surviving Entity upon the Effective Time, in each case, unless otherwise determined by Parent prior to the Effective Time, and until their respective successors are duly elected or appointed and qualified or until the earlier of their death, resignation or removal in accordance with the memorandum and articles of association of the Surviving Entity.

 

Section 2.6 Governing Documents. At the Effective Time, without any further action on the part of the parties hereto, the memorandum and articles of association of Merger Sub, as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time, shall be the memorandum and articles of association of the Surviving Entity, until thereafter amended in accordance with applicable Law and the applicable provisions of such memorandum and articles of association; provided, that at the Effective Time, (a) Article 1 of the memorandum of association of the Surviving Entity shall be amended to read as follows: “The name of the corporation is “eLong, Inc.” and the articles of association of the Surviving Entity shall be amended to refer to the name of the Surviving Entity as “eLong, Inc.,” (b) references therein to the authorized share capital of the Surviving Entity shall be amended to refer to the correct authorized capital of the Surviving Entity as approved in the Plan of Merger, if necessary, and (c) the memorandum and articles of association of the Surviving Entity will contain provisions no less favorable to the intended beneficiaries with respect to exculpation and indemnification of liability and advancement of expenses than are set forth in the memorandum and articles of association of the Company as in effect on the date hereof, in accordance with Section 7.4.

 

 

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ARTICLE III

 

TREATMENT OF SECURITIES

 

Section 3.1           Treatment of Shares. At the Effective Time, by virtue of the Merger and without any action on the part of Parent, Merger Sub, the Company or the holders of any securities of the Company:

 

(a)          Treatment of Shares. Each Share issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (other than the Excluded Shares, the Dissenting Shares and Shares represented by ADSs) shall be cancelled in exchange for the right to receive $9.00 in cash per Share without interest (subject to adjustment pursuant to Section 3.1(f)) (the “Per Share Merger Consideration”). From and after the Effective Time, all such Shares shall no longer be outstanding and shall automatically be cancelled and shall cease to exist, and each holder of a Share shall cease to have any rights with respect thereto, except the right to receive the Per Share Merger Consideration therefor upon the surrender of such Share in accordance with Section 3.2, and the right to receive any dividends or other distributions with a record date prior to the Effective Time which may have been declared by the Company and which remain unpaid at the Effective Time.

 

(b)          Treatment of American Depository Shares. Each American Depository Share, representing two (2) Ordinary Shares (each, an “ADS” or collectively, the “ADSs”), issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (other than ADSs representing Excluded Shares), together with the underlying Ordinary Shares represented by such ADS, shall be cancelled in exchange for the right to receive $18.00 in cash per ADS without interest (subject to adjustment pursuant to Section 3.1(f)) (the “Per ADS Merger Consideration”) pursuant to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement; provided that in the event of any conflict between this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement, this Agreement shall prevail. From and after the Effective Time, all such ADSs (and such underlying Ordinary Shares) shall no longer be outstanding and shall automatically be cancelled, retired and shall cease to exist, and each holder of a ADS shall cease to have any rights with respect thereto, except the right to receive the Per ADS Merger Consideration therefor upon the surrender of such ADS in accordance with Section 3.2, and the right to receive any dividends or other distributions with a record date prior to the Effective Time which may have been declared by the Company and which remain unpaid at the Effective Time.

 

(c)          Treatment of Excluded Shares. Each Excluded Share issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time, shall automatically be cancelled and shall cease to exist, without payment of any consideration or distribution therefor.

 

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(d)          Treatment of Dissenting Shares. Each Dissenting Share shall be automatically cancelled and cease to exist in accordance with Section 3.3, and shall carry no rights other than the right to receive the applicable payments pursuant to the procedure set forth in Section 3.3.

 

(e)          Treatment of Merger Sub Securities. All equity securities of Merger Sub issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be converted into equity securities of the Surviving Entity. Such equity securities shall constitute the only issued and outstanding share capital of the Surviving Entity upon the Effective Time.

 

(f)          Adjustment to Merger Consideration. The Per Share Merger Consideration and Per ADS Merger Consideration, as applicable, shall be adjusted appropriately to reflect the effect of any stock split, reverse stock split, stock dividend (including any dividend or other distribution of securities convertible into Shares or ADSs, as applicable), reorganization, recapitalization, reclassification, combination, exchange of shares or other like change with respect to the Shares or ADSs, as applicable, effectuated after the date hereof and prior to the Effective Time, so as to provide the holders of Shares or ADSs, as applicable, with the same economic effect as contemplated by this Agreement prior to such event and as so adjusted shall, from and after the date of such event, be the Per Share Merger Consideration or Per ADS Merger Consideration, as applicable.

 

Section 3.2           Payment for Securities; Surrender of Certificates.

 

(a)          Exchange Fund. Prior to the Effective Time, Parent shall select and appoint a bank or trust company to act as paying agent (the “Paying Agent”) for all payments required to be made pursuant to Section 3.1(a), Section 3.1(b) and Section 3.3 (collectively, the “Merger Consideration”). At or prior to the Effective Time, or in the case of payments pursuant to Section 3.3, when ascertained pursuant to Section 3.3, Parent shall deposit, or cause to be deposited, with the Paying Agent, for the benefit of the holders of Shares and ADSs, cash in immediately available funds in an amount sufficient to pay the Merger Consideration (such cash being hereinafter referred to as the “Exchange Fund”).

 

(b)          Procedures for Surrender.

 

(i)          Promptly following the Effective Time, the Surviving Entity shall cause the Paying Agent to mail (and make available for collection by hand) to each person who was, at the Effective Time, a registered holder of Shares entitled to receive the Per Share Merger Consideration pursuant to Section 3.1(a): (i) a letter of transmittal (which shall be in customary form for a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, and shall specify the manner in which the delivery of the Per Share Merger Consideration to registered holders of Shares shall be effected), and (ii) instructions for use in effecting the surrender of any issued share certificates representing Shares (the “Share Certificates”) (or affidavits and indemnities of loss in lieu of the Share Certificates as provided in Section 3.2(e)) or non−certificated Shares represented by book entry (“Uncertificated Shares”) and/or such other documents as may be required to receive the Per Share Merger Consideration. Upon surrender of, if applicable, a Share Certificate (or affidavit and indemnity of loss in lieu of the Share Certificate as provided in Section 3.2(e)) for cancellation or Uncertificated Shares and/or such other documents as may be required pursuant to such instructions to the Paying Agent in accordance with the terms of such letter of transmittal, duly executed in accordance with the instructions thereto, each registered holder of such Shares shall be entitled to receive in exchange therefor the Per Share Merger Consideration payable in respect of such Shares, and the Share Certificates so surrendered shall forthwith be cancelled.

 

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(ii)         Prior to the Effective Time, Parent and the Company shall establish procedures with the Paying Agent and the Depositary to ensure that (A) the Paying Agent will transmit to the Depositary as promptly as reasonably practicable following the Effective Time an amount in cash in immediately available funds equal to the Per ADS Merger Consideration payable in respect of the number of ADSs issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (other than ADSs and the underlying Shares representing Excluded Shares), and (B) the Depositary will distribute the Per ADS Merger Consideration to holders of ADSs pro rata to their holdings of ADSs (other than ADSs representing Excluded Shares) upon surrender by them of the ADSs. Pursuant to the terms of the Deposit Agreement, the ADS holders will pay any applicable fees, charges and expenses of the Depositary and government charges (other than withholding Taxes, if any) due to or incurred by the Depositary in connection with the cancellation of their ADSs (and the underlying Shares). The Surviving Entity will pay any applicable fees, charges and expenses of the Depositary and government charges (other than withholding Taxes, if any) due to or incurred by the Depositary in connection with the distribution of the Per ADS Merger Consideration to ADS holders and the termination of the ADS program or facility (other than the ADS cancellation fee, which shall be payable in accordance with the Deposit Agreement).

 

(iii)        If payment of Merger Consideration is to be made to a Person other than the Person in whose name the surrendered Share Certificate is registered, it shall be a condition precedent of payment that (A) the Share Certificate so surrendered shall be accompanied by a proper form of transfer, and (B) the Person requesting such payment shall have paid any transfer and other similar Taxes required by reason of the payment of the Merger Consideration to a Person other than the registered holder of the Share Certificate surrendered or shall have established to the reasonable satisfaction of the Surviving Entity that such Tax either has been paid or is not required to be paid. Payment of the applicable Merger Consideration with respect to Uncertificated Shares shall only be made to the Person in whose name such Uncertificated Shares are registered.

 

(iv)        Until surrendered as contemplated by this Section 3.2, each Share Certificate, Uncertificated Share and ADS shall be deemed at any time from and after the Effective Time to represent only the right to receive the applicable Merger Consideration as contemplated by this Article III and any dividends or other distributions with a record date prior to the Effective Time which may have been authorized by the Company and which remain unpaid at the Effective Time.

 

(c)          Transfer Books; No Further Ownership Rights in Shares. At the Effective Time, the share transfer books of the Company shall be closed and thereafter there shall be no further registration of transfers of Shares on the records of the Company. From and after the Effective Time, the holders of Shares or ADSs outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall cease to have any rights with respect to such Shares or ADSs except as otherwise provided for herein or by applicable Law. If, after the Effective Time, Certificates or Uncertificated Shares or ADSs are presented to the Surviving Entity or Depository for any reason, they shall be cancelled and exchanged as provided in this Agreement.

 

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(d)          Termination of Exchange Fund; No Liability. At any time following six (6) months after the Effective Time, the Surviving Entity shall be entitled to require the Paying Agent to deliver to it any funds (including any interest received with respect thereto) remaining in the Exchange Fund that have not been disbursed, or for which disbursement is pending subject only to the Paying Agent’s routine administrative procedures, to holders of Share Certificates or Uncertificated Shares, and thereafter such holders shall be entitled to look only to the Surviving Entity and Parent (subject to abandoned property, escheat or other similar Laws) as general creditors thereof with respect to the applicable Merger Consideration, including any dividends or other distributions with a record date prior to the Effective Time which may have been authorized by the Company and which remain unpaid at the Effective Time, payable upon due surrender of their Share Certificates or Uncertificated Shares and compliance with the procedures in Section 3.2(b). Notwithstanding the foregoing, none of the Surviving Entity, Parent or the Paying Agent shall be liable to any holder of a Share Certificate, Uncertificated Share or ADS for any Merger Consideration or other amounts delivered to a public official pursuant to any applicable abandoned property, escheat or similar Law.

 

(e)          Lost, Stolen or Destroyed Certificates. In the event that any Share Certificates shall have been lost, stolen or destroyed, the Paying Agent shall issue in exchange for such lost, stolen or destroyed Share Certificates, upon the making of an affidavit of that fact by the holder thereof and, if reasonably required by the Surviving Entity, the execution of an indemnity or the posting by such holder of a bond in such reasonable and customary amount as the Surviving Entity may direct, as indemnity against any claim that may be made against it with respect to such Share Certificate, the applicable Merger Consideration payable in respect thereof pursuant to Section 3.1 hereof, including any dividends or other distributions with a record date prior to the Effective Time which may have been authorized by the Company and which remain unpaid at the Effective Time.

 

Section 3.3           Dissenter’s Rights.

 

(a)          Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary and to the extent available under the CICL, Shares that are issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time and that are held by shareholders who shall have validly exercised and not effectively withdrawn or lost their rights to dissent from the merger, or dissenter rights, in accordance with Section 238 of the CICL (collectively, the “Dissenting Shares” and holders of Dissenting Shares collectively being referred to as “Dissenting Shareholders”) shall be cancelled and cease to exist at the Effective Time, shall not be entitled to receive the Per Share Merger Consideration and shall instead be entitled to receive only the payment of the fair value of such Dissenting Shares held by them determined in accordance with the provisions of Section 238 of the CICL.

 

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(b)          For the avoidance of doubt, all Shares held by Dissenting Shareholders who shall have failed to exercise or who effectively shall have withdrawn or lost their dissenter rights under Section 238 of the CICL shall thereupon (i) not be deemed to be Dissenting Shares, and (ii) be cancelled in exchange for, as of the Effective Time, the right to receive the Per Share Merger Consideration, without any interest thereon, in the manner provided in Section 3.2. Parent shall promptly deposit or cause to be deposited with the Paying Agent any additional funds necessary to pay in full the aggregate Per Share Merger Consideration so due and payable to such shareholders who have failed to exercise or who shall have effectively withdrawn or lost such dissenter rights under Section 238 of the CICL.

 

(c)          The Company shall give Parent (i) prompt notice of any notices of objection or notices of dissent to the Merger or demands for appraisal, under Section 238 of the CICL received by the Company, attempted withdrawals of such objection, dissents or demands, and any other instruments served pursuant to the CICL and received by the Company relating to the exercise of any rights to dissent from the Merger or appraisal rights, and (ii) the opportunity to direct all negotiations and proceedings with respect to any exercise of dissenter right or demand for appraisal under the CICL. The Company shall not, except with the prior written consent of Parent, make any payment with respect to any exercise by a shareholder of its rights to dissent from the Merger or any demands for appraisal or offer to settle or settle any such demands or approve any withdrawal of any such dissenter rights or demands.

 

(d)          In the event that any written notices of objection to the Merger are served by any shareholders of the Company pursuant to section 238(2) of the CICL, the Company shall serve written notice of the authorization and approval of this Agreement, the Plan of Merger and the Transactions on such shareholders pursuant to section 238(4) of the CICL within 20 days of obtaining the Shareholder Approval at the Shareholder Meeting.

 

Section 3.4           Treatment of Equity Awards.

 

(a)          Vested Company Options. As of the Effective Time, each fully vested Company Option (other than any vested Executive Excluded Options) granted under a Company Equity Plan outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time, by virtue of the Merger and without action by the holder of such vested Company Option, shall be cancelled and immediately converted into the right to receive in exchange therefor an amount of cash equal to (i) the excess, if any, of (A) the Per Share Merger Consideration over (B) the exercise price per Ordinary Share subject to such Company Option, multiplied by (ii) the number of Ordinary Shares underlying such Company Option (the “Option Consideration”), which amount shall be paid as promptly as practicable following the Effective Time by the Surviving Entity; provided that if the Exercise Price of any such Company Option is equal to or greater than the Per Share Merger Consideration, such Company Option shall be cancelled without any payment therefor.

 

(b)          Vested Company RSU Awards. As of the Effective Time, each fully vested Company RSU Award (other than any vested Executive Excluded RSU Awards) granted under a Company Equity Plan outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time, by virtue of the Merger and without action by the holder of such vested Company RSU Award, shall be cancelled and immediately converted into the right to receive in exchange therefor an amount of cash equal to (i) the Per Share Merger Consideration multiplied by (ii) the number of Ordinary Shares underlying such Company RSU Award (the “RSU Award Consideration”), which amount shall be paid as promptly as practicable following the Effective Time by the Surviving Entity.

 

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(c)          Treatment of Unvested Company Options and Unvested Company RSU Awards.

 

(i)          As of the Effective Time, each unvested Company Option (other than any unvested Executive Excluded Options) granted under a Company Equity Plan outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time, by virtue of the Merger and without action by the holder of such unvested Company Option, shall be cancelled and immediately converted into the right to receive in exchange therefor an award of option to purchase (A) the same number of Parent common shares as the total number of Ordinary Shares subject to such Company Option immediately prior to the Effective Time, (B) at a per-share exercise price equal to the exercise price per Ordinary Share at which such Company Option was exercisable immediately prior to the Effective Time, subject to and in accordance with the terms of the applicable Company Equity Plan and Company Option agreement in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time (with continuation of the applicable vesting terms) (such award, a “Parent Option”), provided that the number of Parent common shares subject to such Parent Option and/or the exercise price of such Parent Option may be adjusted by Parent to reflect changes in the Company’s or Parent’s capital structure upon or immediately prior to the Effective Time to provide substantially the same economic terms to the holders of such unvested Company Options.

 

(ii)         As of the Effective Time, each unvested Company RSU Award (other than any unvested Executive Excluded RSU Awards and any Former CEO Unvested RSU Awards) granted under a Company Equity Plan outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time, by virtue of the Merger and without action by the holder of such unvested Company RSU, shall be cancelled and immediately converted into the right to receive in exchange therefor an award of Parent restricted share units to acquire the same number of Parent common shares as the total number of Ordinary Shares subject to such Company RSU Award immediately prior to the Effective Time, subject to and in accordance with the terms of the applicable Company Equity Plan and Company RSU Award agreement in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time (with continuation of the applicable vesting terms) (such award, a “Parent RSU Award”); provided that the number of Parent common shares subject to such Parent RSU Award may be adjusted by Parent to reflect changes in the Company’s or Parent’s capital structure upon or immediately prior to the Effective Time to provide substantially the same economic terms to the holders of such unvested Company RSU Awards.

 

(d)          Treatment of Executive Excluded Options and Executive Excluded RSU Awards.

 

(i)          Each Executive Excluded Options held by any Executive Equityholder shall, by virtue of the Merger and without action by such Executive Equityholder, be cancelled at the Effective Time and immediately converted into the right to receive in exchange therefor, either the Option Consideration (if any) or a Parent Option in accordance with the terms and conditions of the relevant Executive Equityholder Rollover Agreement of such Executive Equityholder.

 

(ii)         Each Executive Excluded RSU Awards held by any Executive Equityholder shall, by virtue of the Merger and without action by such Executive Equityholder, be cancelled at the Effective Time and immediately converted into the right to receive in exchange therefor, either the RSU Award Consideration or a Parent RSU Award in accordance with the terms and conditions of the relevant Executive Equityholder Rollover Agreement of such Executive Equityholder.

 

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(e)          Treatment of Former CEO Unvested RSU Awards. Each Former CEO Unvested RSU Award shall, by virtue of the Merger and without action by Mr. Cui, be cancelled at the Effective Time and immediately converted into the right to receive in exchange therefor, RSU Award Consideration in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Former CEO Letter Agreement.

 

(f)          The Company shall take all corporate actions reasonably necessary to effectuate the treatment of the Company Options and Company RSU Awards as contemplated by this Section 3.4.

 

Section 3.5           Withholding. Subject to Section 3.5 of the Parent Disclosure Letter, each of Parent, Merger Sub, the Surviving Entity, the Paying Agent and the Depository (and any other Person that has a withholding obligation pursuant to the carrying out of this Agreement), as the case may be (without double counting), shall only be entitled to deduct and withhold from any consideration otherwise payable pursuant to this Agreement such amounts that are required to be deducted and withheld under applicable Tax Law. In the event that Parent, the Surviving Company, Merger Sub, the Paying Agent, or the Depositary (or any other Person that has a withholding obligation pursuant to this Agreement) determines prior to Closing that any such permitted deduction or withholding is required to be made from any consideration payable pursuant to this Agreement, such Person shall promptly inform the Special Committee and the other Parties hereto of such determination and provide them with a reasonably detailed explanation of such determination and the Parties hereto shall consult with each other in good faith regarding such determination. To the extent such amounts are so deducted and withheld and remitted to the appropriate Governmental Entity, such amounts shall be treated for all purposes of this Agreement as having been paid to the holder of the Shares, ADSs, Company Options or Company RSU Awards in respect of which such deduction and withholding was made.

 

Section 3.6           Termination of Deposit Agreement. As soon as reasonably practicable after the Effective Time, the Surviving Entity shall provide notice to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (the “Depositary”) to terminate the amended and restated deposit agreement, dated July 15, 2014 between the Company, the Depositary and all holders from time to time of ADSs issued thereunder (the “Deposit Agreement”) in accordance with its terms.

 

Section 3.7           Agreement of Fair Value. Parent, Merger Sub and the Company respectively agree that the Per Share Merger Consideration represents the fair value of the Shares for the purposes of Section 238(8) of the CICL.

 

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ARTICLE IV

 

REPRESENTATIONS AND

WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY

 

The following representations and warranties by the Company are qualified in their entirety by reference to the disclosures (a) in the SEC Documents filed or furnished prior to the date hereof but excluding statements in any “Risk Factors” section or similar cautionary, predictive or forward-looking disclosure, and (b) set forth or referenced in the disclosure letter delivered by the Company to Parent immediately prior to the execution of this Agreement (the “Disclosure Letter”). The Parties agree that each disclosure set forth in the Disclosure Letter shall be deemed to (whether or not an explicit cross reference appears) qualify or modify the Section to which it corresponds and any other Section to the extent the applicability of the disclosure to each other Section is reasonably apparent on the face of such disclosure. Subject to the foregoing, the Company represents and warrants to Parent and Merger Sub that:

 

Section 4.1           Organization and Qualification; Subsidiaries.

 

(a)          Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries (i) is an entity duly incorporated or organized, as applicable, validly existing and in good standing (with respect to jurisdictions which recognize such concept) under the Laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, and (ii) has the requisite corporate or similar power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and assets and to conduct its business as now being conducted, except to the extent the failure of any of the foregoing has not had or would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries is duly qualified or licensed to do business and is in good standing (with respect to jurisdictions which recognize such concept) in each jurisdiction in which the nature of its business or the ownership, leasing or operation of its properties makes such qualification or licensing necessary, except for those jurisdictions where the failure to be so qualified or licensed or to be in good standing, individually or in the aggregate, has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect. The Company has delivered to or made available to Parent, prior to the execution of this Agreement, true and complete copies of any amendments to the Company Governing Documents not filed prior to the date of this Agreement with the SEC. The Company is in material compliance with the terms of the Company Governing Documents.

 

(b)          Section 4.1(b) of the Disclosure Letter sets forth a true and complete list of the Company’s Subsidiaries, together with their jurisdiction of organization or incorporation, as the case may be. Each of the Company’s Subsidiaries is in compliance with the terms of its constituent organizational or governing documents, except as, individually or in the aggregate, has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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Section 4.2           Capitalization.

 

(a)          The authorized share capital of the Company is $2,582,056.20 divided into 258,205,620 Shares, consist of (i) 150,000,000 Ordinary Shares, (ii) 50,000,000 High-Vote Ordinary Shares and (iii) 58,205,620 Preferred Shares. As of the date hereof, (A) 41,866,535.9 Ordinary Shares were issued and outstanding (which is inclusive of 16,091,452 Ordinary Shares represented by 8,045,726 ADSs and 229,564 Ordinary Shares held by the Depositary and reserved for issuance, settlement and allocation upon exercise or vesting of outstanding Company Options and/or outstanding Company RSU Awards), (B) 33,589,204 High-Vote Ordinary Shares were issued and outstanding, and (C) no Preferred Share was issued and outstanding. All of the outstanding Shares have been duly authorized and are validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. Except for Company Options to acquire 183,506 Ordinary Shares and Company RSU Awards representing the right to receive up to 4,079,104 Ordinary Shares, in each case, outstanding under the Company Equity Plans, and except for the VIE Contracts or as disclosed in the Section 4.2(a) of the Disclosure Letter, there are no (x) options, warrants, calls, pre-emptive rights, subscriptions or other rights, agreements, arrangements or commitments of any kind, including any shareholder rights plan, relating to the issued or unissued capital shares of the Company, obligating the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to issue, transfer or sell or cause to be issued, transferred or sold any shares of, or other equity interest in, the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or securities convertible into or exchangeable for such shares or equity interests, or obligating the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to grant, extend or enter into any such option, warrant, call, subscription or other similar right, agreement, arrangement or commitment (collectively, “Company Equity Interests”) or (y) outstanding obligations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire any Shares or any shares of, or other Company Equity Interests in, the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or to provide funds to make any investment (in the form of a loan, capital contribution or otherwise) in the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. Section 4.2(a) of the Disclosure Letter sets forth information with respect to each outstanding Company Option and Company RSU Award, including the description of the holders thereof, the number of Shares subject to such awards, the vesting schedule applicable to each such award that is not fully vested as of the date hereof, and, if applicable, the exercise price thereof. The Company has delivered to Parent, prior to the execution of this Agreement, true and complete copies of forms of award agreements with respect to Company Options and Company RSU Awards. Each Company Option and Company RSU Award was granted in all material respects in accordance with the terms and conditions of the relevant Company Equity Plan and in compliance with the rules and regulations of The Nasdaq Global Select Market (“NASDAQ”). All Shares to be issued in connection with the aforesaid Company Options and Company RSU Awards, upon issuance on the terms and conditions specified in the instruments pursuant to which they are issuable, will be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

 

(b)          Except as described in Section 4.10 hereof, there are no voting trusts, proxies or other similar agreements to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party with respect to the voting of the Shares or any shares of, or other equity interest, of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has granted any preemptive rights, anti-dilutive rights or rights of first refusal or similar rights with respect to any of its shares or other Company Equity Interests. There are no bonds, debentures or notes issued by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that entitle the holder thereof to vote together with shareholders of the Company on any matters related to the Company.

 

(c)          The Company or one of its Subsidiaries owns, directly or indirectly, all of the issued and outstanding shares or other Company Equity Interests of each of the Company’s Subsidiaries, free and clear of any Liens (other than limitations on transfer and other restrictions imposed by federal or state securities Laws or other applicable Laws and Permitted Liens), and all such shares or other Company Equity Interests have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and nonassessable.

 

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Section 4.3           Authorization; Validity of Agreement; Company Action. The Company has all necessary power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and the Plan of Merger, to perform its obligations hereunder and, subject to receipt of the Shareholder Approval, to consummate the Merger and the other Transactions. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement and the Plan of Merger, and the consummation of the Merger and the other Transactions, have been duly and validly authorized by the Company Board and no other corporate action on the part of the Company is necessary to authorize the execution and delivery by the Company of this Agreement and the Plan of Merger, and the consummation by it of the Transactions, subject, in the case of the Merger, to receipt of the Shareholder Approval. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company and, assuming due and valid authorization, execution and delivery hereof by Parent and Merger Sub, is a valid and binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except that the enforcement hereof may be limited by (a) bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium or other similar Laws, now or hereafter in effect, relating to creditors’ rights generally, and (b) general principles of equity (regardless of whether enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at Law) (collectively, (a) and (b), the “Enforceability Exceptions”).

 

Section 4.4 Board Approval. The Company Board, acting upon the unanimous recommendation of the Special Committee, at a duly held meeting, has (a) determined that the execution by the Company of this Agreement and the Plan of Merger and consummation of the Transactions, including the Merger, are fair to, and in the best interests of, the Company and its shareholders (other than the Rollover Shareholders), (b) approved and declared advisable the Merger, the other Transactions, this Agreement and the Plan of Merger, (c) resolved to recommend in favor of the authorization and approval of this Agreement, the Plan of Merger and the Transactions to the holders of Shares, and to include such recommendation in the Proxy Statement and directed that this Agreement, the Plan of Merger and the Transactions be submitted to the holders of Shares for authorization and approval, and (d) taken all actions as may be required to enter into this Agreement and, as of the Closing Date, shall have taken all actions as may be required to be taken by the Company to effect the Transactions.

 

 

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Section 4.5           Consents and Approvals; No Violations. None of the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement by the Company, the consummation by the Company of the Merger or any other Transaction or compliance by the Company with any of the provisions of this Agreement will (a) conflict with or result in any breach of any provision of the Company Governing Documents or the comparable organizational or governing documents of any of its Subsidiaries, (b) require any filing by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with, or the obtaining of any permit, authorization, consent or approval of, any court, arbitral tribunal, administrative agency or commission or other governmental or other regulatory authority or agency, whether foreign, federal, state, local or supranational, or any self-regulatory or quasi-governmental authority (each, a “Governmental Entity”) (except for (i) compliance with any applicable requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (the “Exchange Act”), (ii) the filing of the Plan of Merger and related documentation with the Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands and the publication of notification of the Merger in the Cayman Islands Government Gazette pursuant to the CICL, (iii) filing, permits, authorizations, consents and approvals as may be required under any applicable competition Law or applicable investment Law (collectively, “Competition Laws”), (iv) such filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) as may be required to be made by the Company in connection with this Agreement and the Merger, including (A) the joining of the Company in the filing of the Schedule 13E-3, which shall incorporate by reference the proxy statement relating to the authorization and approval of the Merger (including any amendment or supplement thereto, the “Proxy Statement”), and the filing or furnishing of one or more amendments to the Schedule 13E-3 to respond to comments of the SEC, if any, on the Schedule 13E-3, (v) such filings as may be required under the rules and regulations of NASDAQ in connection with this Agreement or the Merger, (vi) such filings as may be required in connection with state and local transfer Taxes, or (vii) any applicable foreign or state securities or “blue sky” Laws and the rules and regulations thereunder), (c) result in a modification, violation or breach of, or constitute (with or without notice or lapse of time or both) a default (or give rise to any right, including any right of termination, amendment, cancellation or acceleration) under, any of the terms, conditions or provisions of any Contract, or (d) violate any Order or Law applicable to the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company, or any of their respective properties, assets or operations; except in each of clauses (b), (c) or (d) where (x) any failure to obtain such permits, authorizations, consents or approvals, (y) any failure to make such filings, or (z) any such modifications, violations, rights, impositions, breaches or defaults, individually or in the aggregate, has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect or a material adverse effect on the ability of the Company to consummate the Merger and the other Transactions.

 

Section 4.6           SEC Documents and Financial Statements.

 

(a)          The Company has timely (including following any extensions of time for filing provided by Rule 12b-25 promulgated under the Exchange Act) filed with or furnished (as applicable) to the SEC all forms, reports, schedules, statements and other documents required by it to be filed or furnished (as applicable) since and including January 1, 2013 under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (the “Securities Act”) (together with all certifications required pursuant to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”)) (such forms, reports, schedules, statements and documents and any other forms, reports, schedules, statements and documents filed by the Company with the SEC, as have been amended since the time of their filing, collectively, the “SEC Documents”). As of their respective filing dates and except to the extent corrected by a subsequent SEC Document, the SEC Documents (i) did not contain, when filed or furnished, any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading in any material respect, and (ii) complied in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Exchange Act or the Securities Act, as the case may be, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder.

 

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(b)          All of the audited and unaudited financial statements of the Company included (or incorporated by reference) in the SEC Documents (including the related notes and schedules thereto) (collectively, the “Financial Statements”), (i) were prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved (except as may be indicated in the notes thereto), and (ii) fairly presented (except as may be indicated in the notes thereto) in all material respects, the financial position and the results of operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of the times and for the periods then ended (subject, in the case of unaudited quarterly financial statements, to the absence of notes and normal year-end adjustments that are not material in the aggregate and the exclusion of certain notes in accordance with the rules of the SEC relating to unaudited financial statements).

 

(c)          As of the date hereof, the Company has not received any comments from the SEC with respect to any of the SEC Documents which remain unresolved, nor has it received any inquiry or information request from the SEC as of the date of this Agreement as to any matters affecting the Company which has not been adequately addressed.

 

Section 4.7           Internal Controls; Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

 

(a)          The Company has designed and maintains a system of internal controls over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) sufficient to provide reasonable assurances regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP. The Company (i) has designed and maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act) to ensure that material information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure, and (ii) to the extent known to the Company, has disclosed to the Company’s auditors and the audit committee of the Company Board (A) any significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls over financial reporting that are reasonably likely to adversely affect in any material respect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information, and (B) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting.

 

(b)          Since December 31, 2012, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received any written material complaint, allegation, assertion or claim, regarding the accounting or auditing practices, procedures, methodologies or methods of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or their respective internal accounting controls relating to periods after December 31, 2012 (except for any of the foregoing after the date hereof which have no reasonable basis).

 

Section 4.8           Absence of Certain Changes. Except as contemplated by this Agreement, since January 1, 2015 through the date hereof, (a) the Company has conducted, in all material respects, its business in the ordinary course consistent with past practice and (b) (i) no Effects have occurred, which, individually or in the aggregate, have had or would reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect and (ii) there has not been any adoption of, resolution to approve or petition or similar proceeding or order in relation to, a plan of complete or partial liquidation, dissolution, scheme of arrangement, merger, consolidation, restructuring, recapitalization or other reorganization of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

 

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Section 4.9           No Undisclosed Liabilities. Except (a) as reflected or otherwise reserved against on the Financial Statements or referenced in the footnotes thereto set forth in the SEC Documents, (b) for liabilities and obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice since the most recent balance sheet included in the SEC Documents, and (c) for liabilities and obligations disclosed in the SEC Documents or incurred in connection with the Transactions, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is subject to any liabilities or obligations that would be required by GAAP to be reflected on a consolidated balance sheet of the Company and its Subsidiaries, other than as, individually or in the aggregate, has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect.

 

Section 4.10         PRC Subsidiaries. Except as, individually or in the aggregate, has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect:

 

(a)          the constitutional documents and certificates of each of the Company’s Subsidiaries formed in the PRC (the “PRC Subsidiaries”) are valid and have been duly approved or issued (as applicable) by competent PRC Governmental Entity;

 

(b)          all filing and registrations with the PRC Governmental Entities required to be made in respect of the PRC Subsidiaries and their operations have been made in accordance with relevant rules and regulations;

 

(c)          under the prevailing interpretation of applicable PRC Laws as of the date hereof, eLongNet has effective control of the VIEs through a series of contractual arrangements (a list of the underlying Contracts with respect to such arrangements is set forth on Section 4.10(c) of the Disclosure Letter, collectively, the “VIE Contracts”), and to the knowledge of the Company, each VIE Contract constitutes the legal and binding obligations of the relevant parties thereto and there is no enforceable agreement or understanding to rescind, amend or change the nature of such captive structure or material terms of such contractual arrangements;

 

(d)          the execution, delivery and performance by each and all of the relevant PRC Subsidiaries of their respective obligations under each and all of the VIE Contracts, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereunder, did not and do not (i) result in any violation of their respective articles of association, their respective business licenses or constitutive documents, (ii) result in any violation of any applicable PRC Laws as such applicable PRC Laws are currently being interpreted and enforced, or (iii) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any Order of any court of the PRC having jurisdiction over such PRC Subsidiaries, as the case may be, or any agreement with, or instrument to which any of them is expressed to be a party or which is binding on any of them;

 

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(e)          to the knowledge of the Company, there have been no disputes, disagreements, claims or any legal proceedings of any nature, raised by any Governmental Entity or any other party, pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against any of the Company, eLongNet or any VIE that: (i) challenge the validity or enforceability of any part or all of the VIE Contracts taken as whole, (ii) challenge the VIE structure or the ownership structure as set forth in the VIE Contracts and described in the SEC Documents, or (iii) claim any ownership, share, equity or interest in eLongNet or VIE, or claim any compensation for not being granted any ownership, share, equity or interest in eLongNet or VIE; and

 

(f)          except as reflected or otherwise reserved against on the Financial Statements, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries are subject to any liabilities or obligations in connection with any liquidation, dissolution, deregistration or similar corporate event involving any PRC Subsidiary.

 

Section 4.11         Litigation. There is no claim, action, suit, arbitration, investigation, alternative dispute resolution action or any other judicial or administrative proceeding, in Law or equity (each, a “Legal Proceeding”), pending against (or to the Company’s knowledge, threatened in writing against or naming as a party thereto), the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that, individually or in the aggregate, has had or would reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is subject to any outstanding Order which, individually or in the aggregate, has had or would reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect.

 

Section 4.12         Benefits.

 

(a)          Section 4.12(a) of the Disclosure Letter sets forth a true and complete list of all Benefit Plans (i) under which any current or former director, officer or employee of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has any right to benefits, and (ii) which are maintained, sponsored, administered, contributed to or funded by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries makes or is required to make contributions with respect to such directors, officers or employees (collectively, the “Company Benefit Plans”).

 

(b)          Each Company Benefit Plan (and related trust, insurance contract or fund, if any) has been established and administered in accordance with its terms and complies in form and operation with applicable Law except as, individually or in the aggregate, has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(c)          No Company Benefit Plan provides health, medical, life insurance or death benefits to current or former directors, officers or employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries beyond their retirement or other termination of service, other than coverage mandated by Law. No Company Benefit Plan is maintained or is for the benefit of directors, officers or employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries outside the jurisdiction of the PRC.

 

(d)          Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement regarding Company Options and Company RSU Awards, the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the consummation of the Transactions will not (either alone or in combination with another event) (i) result in any material payment or benefit from the Company or any of its Subsidiaries becoming due, or increase the amount of any payment or benefit due, to any current or former directors, officers, employees or consultants of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (ii) materially increase any benefits otherwise payable under any Company Benefit Plan, or (iii) result in the acceleration of the time of payment or vesting of any compensation or benefits or other payment from the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to any current or former directors, officers, employees or consultants of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

 

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(e)          There are no pending, or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, Legal Proceedings against any Company Benefit Plan, other than ordinary claims for benefits by participants and beneficiaries or which, individually or in the aggregate, have not had or would not reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(f)          Except as, individually or in the aggregate, have not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect, all contributions, if applicable (including all employer contributions, employee salary reduction contributions, and social security and other contributions to Governmental Entities), which are required by Law or by the terms of such Company Benefit Plan have been made, or, if applicable, accrued in accordance with normal accounting practices and in compliance with applicable Law.

 

Section 4.13         Labor.

 

(a)          No employee of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is represented by a union and, to the knowledge of the Company, no union organizing efforts have been conducted within the last three (3) years or are now being conducted. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to any collective bargaining agreement, labor contract or similar agreement or arrangement with any labor union, trade union, works council or other employee representative. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is currently experiencing, or, to the knowledge of the Company, is now threatened, a strike, picket, work stoppage, work slowdown or other organized labor dispute.

 

(b)          Except as, individually or in the aggregate, has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect, (i) each of the Company and its Subsidiaries is in compliance with all applicable Laws relating to the employment of labor, including all applicable Laws relating to wages, hours, labor relations, classification, collective bargaining, severance and termination benefits, safety and health, workers’ compensation, pay equity and the collection and payment of withholding or social security taxes, and (ii) there are no pending or in progress or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened suits, actions, complaints, investigations, orders or charges or other proceedings in connection with the Company under any applicable employment, social security or labor Laws.

 

Section 4.14         Taxes. Except as, individually or in the aggregate, has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect:

 

(a)          all Tax Returns required to be filed by or with respect to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries have been timely filed and all such Tax Returns are true, correct, and complete in all material respects and all entitlements of Tax exemption, Tax holidays, Tax incentive or other preferential treatments or financial subsidies enjoyed by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries have been obtained in compliance with applicable Laws in all material respects;

 

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(b)          all material Taxes of the Company and its Subsidiaries due and payable have been timely paid, other than such payments as are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings. The Financial Statements reflect an adequate reserve for all material Taxes payable by the Company and its Subsidiaries for all taxable periods and portions thereof through the date of such financial statements. No material Liens for Taxes exist with respect to any of the assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, except for Permitted Liens;

 

(c)          each of the Company and its Subsidiaries has timely paid or withheld all material Taxes required by applicable Law to be paid or withheld with respect to their employees and independent contractors (and paid over such Taxes to the appropriate Governmental Entity);

 

(d)          no audit or other examination or administrative, judicial or other proceeding of, or with respect to, any material Tax Return or material Taxes of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is currently in progress, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has been notified of any written request for, or, to the knowledge of the Company, any threat of, such an audit or other examination or administrative, judicial or other proceeding. No deficiency for any material amount of Tax has been asserted or assessed by any Governmental Authority against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that has not been satisfied by payment, settled or withdrawn. No claim has been made by any Governmental Entity in a jurisdiction where the Company or any of its Subsidiaries does not file Tax Returns that the Company or such Subsidiary is or may be subject to taxation by such jurisdiction;

 

(e)          each of the Company’s Subsidiaries formed in the PRC has, in accordance with applicable Law, duly registered with the relevant PRC Governmental Entity, obtained and maintained the validity of all national and local Tax registration certificates and complied in all material respects with all requirements imposed by such Governmental Entity. No submissions made by or on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to any Governmental Entity in connection with obtaining Tax exemptions, Tax holidays, Tax deferrals, Tax incentives or other preferential Tax treatments or Tax rebates contained any material misstatement or omission that would have affected the granting of such Tax exemptions, preferential treatments or rebates. No suspension, revocation or cancellation of any such Tax exemptions, preferential treatments or rebates is pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened. The Company has no reason to believe that the Transactions will have any material adverse effect on the continued validity and effectiveness of any such Tax exemptions, preferential treatments or rebates or will result in the clawback or recapture of any such Tax exemptions, preferential treatments or rebates; and

 

(f)          neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries incorporated outside the PRC takes the position for tax purposes that it is a “resident enterprise” of the PRC or tax resident in any jurisdiction other than its jurisdiction of formation.

 

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Section 4.15         Contracts.

 

(a)          Except as filed as exhibits to the SEC Documents filed prior to the date hereof, Section 4.15(a) of the Disclosure Letter sets forth a list or description of each note, bond, mortgage, indenture, lease, license, contract or agreement, or other instrument or obligation (each, a “Contract”) to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of their respective properties or assets are bound which, as of the date of this Agreement:

 

(i)          is or would be required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Item 4 of the Instructions to Exhibits of Form 20-F under the Exchange Act;

 

(ii)         obligates the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to make non-contingent aggregate annual expenditures (other than principal and/or interest payments or the deposit of other reserves with respect to debt obligations) in excess of One Million U.S. Dollars ($1,000,000) and is not cancelable within thirty (30) days without material penalty to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries;

 

(iii)        contains any non-compete or exclusivity provisions with respect to any line of business or geographic area of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries which restrict the conduct of any line of business that is material to the Company and its Subsidiaries;

 

(iv)        constitutes Indebtedness (including any guarantee thereof) in an amount in excess of One Million U.S. Dollars ($1,000,000) or any letters of credit or similar instruments issued for the account of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or mortgaging, pledging or otherwise placing a Lien (other than any Permitted Lien) securing obligations in excess of One Million U.S. Dollars ($1,000,000) on any portion of the assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, other than any such agreement, indenture, letter of credit or instrument solely between or solely among the Company and its wholly owned Subsidiaries;

 

(v)         requires the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to dispose of or acquire assets or properties with a value in excess of One Million U.S. Dollars ($1,000,000), or provides for any pending or contemplated merger, consolidation or similar business combination transaction involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries;

 

(vi)        constitutes a contract or agreement relating to a hedging transaction;

 

(vii)       relates to a joint venture, partnership or similar arrangement, with a third party;

 

(viii)      constitutes a loan to any Person (other than a wholly owned Subsidiary of the Company) by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in an amount in excess of One Million U.S. Dollars ($1,000,000);

 

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(ix)         grants to any Person a right of first refusal, a right of first offer or an option to purchase, acquire, sell or dispose of any Company IP Rights that, individually or in the aggregate, is material to the Company and its Subsidiaries;

 

(x)          that is a collective bargaining agreement or other Contract with any labor organization, union or association (other than any mandatory national collective bargaining agreement) or any other collective bargaining agreement with an employees’ representative body such as a works council or any company practice or any commitment given to any employee of the Company;

 

(xi)         that is a license, agreement or other contractual right in respect of any material Company IP Rights or otherwise grants the Company any material rights in any Intellectual Property;

 

(xii)        that is a Contract (other than Contracts granting Company Options) giving the other party the right to terminate such Contract as a result of this Agreement or the consummation of the Merger; and

 

(xiii)       that is a Contract the absence of which would be or reasonably be expected to be a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(b)          Each Contract of the type described above in Section 4.15(a) and in effect on the date of this Agreement, whether or not set forth in Section 4.15(a) of the Disclosure Letter, is referred to herein as a “Material Contract.” As of the date hereof, except as, individually or in the aggregate, has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect, (i) each Material Contract is legal, valid and binding on the Company and each of its Subsidiaries that is a party thereto, and is in full force and effect, except as may be limited by the Enforceability Exceptions, (ii) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries, nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any other party thereto, is or is alleged to be in breach or violation of, or default under, any Material Contract, and (iii) to the Company’s knowledge, no event has occurred that with notice or lapse of time or both would constitute a violation, breach or default under any Material Contract. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received notice of any breach, violation or default under any Material Contract, except for breaches, violations or defaults that, individually or in the aggregate, has not had or would not reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(c)          True and complete copies of all Material Contracts have been (i) publicly filed with the SEC or (ii) made available to Parent prior to the date hereof.

 

Section 4.16         Environmental Matters. Except as, individually or in the aggregate, has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect, to the knowledge of the Company:

 

(a)          the Company and each of its Subsidiaries are in compliance with all Environmental Laws;

 

(b)          the Company and each of its Subsidiaries have all Environmental Permits necessary to conduct their current operations and are in compliance with their respective Environmental Permits, and all such Environmental Permits are in good standing (to the extent such concept exists); and

 

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(c)          neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received any written notice, demand, letter or claim alleging that the Company or any such Subsidiary is in violation of any Environmental Law. There is no litigation, investigation or other proceeding pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened in writing, against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries under applicable Environmental Laws.

 

Section 4.17         Intellectual Property.

 

(a)          The Company and each of its Subsidiaries owns or has a valid right or license to use, all of the Company IP Rights that are material to the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole. The Company IP Rights are sufficient for the conduct of the business of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries holding such Company IP Rights as currently conducted.

 

(b)          The Company and each of its Subsidiaries owns and has good and exclusive title to each item of Company-Owned IP Rights, free and clear of any Liens (other than Permitted Liens). The right, license and interest of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries in and to all Third-Party Intellectual Property Rights licensed by such Person from a third party are free and clear of all Liens (excluding restrictions contained in the applicable written license agreements with such third parties and Permitted Liens).

 

(c)          Section 4.17(c)(i) of the Disclosure Letter lists all Company Registered Intellectual Property including the identity of the Person that holds such registration. Except as, individually or in the aggregate, has not had or would not reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect, each item of Company Registered Intellectual Property is valid and subsisting (or in the case of applications, applied for), all registration, maintenance and renewal fees currently due in connection with such Company Registered Intellectual Property have been paid.

 

(d)          Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is or shall be as a result of the execution and delivery or effectiveness of this Agreement or the performance of such Company’s obligations under this Agreement, in material breach of any Contract governing any Company IP Rights (the “IP Rights Agreements”). None of the IP Rights Agreements grants any third party exclusive rights to or under any Company IP Rights or grants any third party the right to sublicense any Company IP Rights.

 

(e)          To the knowledge of the Company, there are no royalties, honoraria, fees or other payments owed or payable by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to any past or present Company employee, shareholder, founder or consultant in connection with the Company’s use or ownership of the Company IP Rights (other than salaries payable to employees, consultants and independent contractors not contingent on or related to the use of their work product).

 

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(f)          To the knowledge of the Company, except as, individually or in the aggregate, has not had or would not reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect, there is no unauthorized use, unauthorized disclosure, infringement or misappropriation of any Company-Owned IP Rights, by any third party, including any employee or former employee of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. As of the date hereof, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has brought any action, suit or proceeding for infringement or misappropriation of any Intellectual Property or breach of any Company IP Rights Agreement.

 

(g)          The operation of the business of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries as such business is currently conducted, including (i) the design, development, manufacturing, reproduction, marketing, licensing, sale, offer for sale, importation, distribution, provision and/or use of any Company Product, and (ii) the Company’s use of any product, device or process used in the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries, has not and does not infringe or misappropriate the Intellectual Property of any third party, except for any infringement or misappropriation that has not had or would not reasonably be expected to have, any Material Adverse Effect.

 

(h)          To the knowledge of the Company, no current or former employee of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has any right, license, claim or interest whatsoever in or with respect to any Company-Owned IP Rights.

 

(i)          The Company and each of its Subsidiaries have taken commercially reasonable steps to protect and preserve the confidentiality and security of all confidential, personally identifiable or non-public information included in the Company IP Rights (“Confidential Information”). All current and former employees and consultants of the Company or its Subsidiaries having access to Confidential Information or proprietary information of any of its customers or business partners have executed and delivered to the Company an agreement regarding the protection of such Confidential Information or proprietary information (in the case of proprietary information of the Company’s customers and business partners, to the extent required by such customers and business partners). The Company and each of its Subsidiaries has complied in all material respects with all applicable legal requirements and its internal privacy policies relating to the use, collection, storage, disclosure and transfer of any personally identifiable information collected by the Company or such Subsidiary or by third parties having authorized access to the records of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, will comply with all applicable legal requirements relating to privacy and with the Company’s privacy policies in all material respects.

 

(j)          Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has (i) incorporated any “free,” “open source” or “copyleft” software (“Open Source Materials”) into, or combined Open Source Materials with, the Company IP Rights or Company Products, (ii) distributed Open Source Materials in conjunction with any Company IP Rights or Company Products, or (iii) used Open Source Materials, in such a way that, with respect to (i), (ii) or (iii), creates or purports to create, obligations for the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with respect to any Company IP Rights or grants, or purports to grant to any third party, any rights or immunities under any Company IP Rights (including using any Open Source Materials that require, as a condition of use, modification and/or distribution of such Open Source Materials that other software incorporated into, derived from or distributed with such Open Source Materials be (A) disclosed or distributed in source code form, (B) licensed for the purpose of making derivative works, or (C) redistributable at no charge).

 

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(k)          Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has experienced any breach of security or otherwise unauthorized access by third parties to the Confidential Information, including personally identifiable information in its possession, custody or control, which has had or would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

Section 4.18         Compliance with Laws; Permits.

 

(a)          As of the date of this Agreement: (i) each of the Company and its Subsidiaries has complied and is in compliance with all Laws which affect the business, properties or assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries, and (ii) no written notice has been received by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries alleging any non-compliance with any such Laws, except in each case above for such non-compliance that, individually or in the aggregate, has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(b)          The Company and its Subsidiaries are in possession of all material authorizations, licenses, permits, certificates, approvals and clearances of any Governmental Entity necessary for the Company and its Subsidiaries to own, lease and operate their properties or to carry on their business substantially in the manner described in the SEC Documents filed prior to the date hereof and substantially as is being conducted as of the date of this Agreement, including, for the avoidance of doubt, all approvals of, and filings and registrations and other requisite formalities with, Governmental Entities in the PRC required to be made by the Company or its Subsidiaries in respect of the Company and its Subsidiaries and their capital structure and operations (collectively, the “Company Permits”) and all of the Company Permits are valid, in full force and effect, except, in each case, where the failure by the Company or a Subsidiary thereof, as applicable, to possess, obtain approval or make filing or registration with respect to, and maintain in full force and effect of any Company Permit, individually or in the aggregate, has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(c)          In the past three (3) years, none of the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or, to the knowledge of the Company, any of their respective directors, officers, employees or any agent acting for or on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has (i) made any bribe, influence payment, kickback, payoff or any other type of payment that would be unlawful under any applicable anti-corruption Law, or (ii) offered, paid, promised to pay, or authorized any payment or transfer of, anything of value, directly or indirectly, to any Government Official for the purpose of (A) improperly influencing any act or decision of such Government Official in his official capacity, (B) improperly inducing such Government Official to do or omit to do any act in relation to his lawful duty, (C) securing any improper advantage, or (D) inducing such Government Official to improperly influence or affect any act or decision of any Governmental Entity, in each case, in order to assist the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in obtaining or retaining business for or with, or in directing business to, any Person.

 

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Section 4.19         Properties.

 

(a)          Section 4.19(a) of the Disclosure Letter sets forth a list of the address of each real property, name of the entity owning or leasing, whether such property is owned, leased or subleased and all such real property interests, together with all right title and interest of the Company and any of its Subsidiaries in and to (i) all buildings, structures and other improvements and fixtures located on or under such real property, and (ii) all easements, rights and other appurtenances to such real property, and subject to any easements, impairments, rights and other appurtenances affecting such real property are individually referred to herein as a “Company Property” and collectively referred to herein as the “Company Properties”). There are no real properties that the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is obligated to buy, lease or sublease at some future date pursuant to any Contract to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party existing as of the date hereof. None of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries owns, leases or has any rights to any real property which is not set forth on Section 4.19(a) of the Disclosure Letter.

 

(b)          The Company or a Subsidiary thereof owns good, marketable and valid title or leasehold title (as applicable) to each of the Company Properties that is material to the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries, in each case, free and clear of Liens, except for Permitted Liens.

 

(c)          No certificate, variance, permit or license from any Governmental Entity having jurisdiction over any of the Company Properties or any agreement, easement or other right that is necessary to permit the current use of the buildings and improvements on any of the Company Properties or that is necessary to permit the current use of all parking areas, driveways, roads and other means of egress and ingress to and from any of the Company Properties has failed to be obtained or is not in full force and effect, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received written notice of any outstanding threat of modification or cancellation of any such certificate, variance, permit or license, except for any of the foregoing as, individually or in the aggregate, has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect.

 

Section 4.20         Information in the Proxy Statement. None of the information supplied or to be supplied in writing by or on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries for inclusion or incorporation by reference in (a) the Schedule 13E-3 will, at the time such document is filed with the SEC and at any time such document is amended or supplemented, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and (b) the Proxy Statement will, at the date it is first mailed to the shareholders of the Company, at the time of the Shareholder Meeting, and at the time the Schedule 13E-3 is filed with the SEC, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any 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. All documents that the Company is responsible for filing with the SEC in connection with the Transactions, to the extent relating to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or other information supplied by or on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries for inclusion therein, will comply as to form, in all material respects, with the provisions of the Securities Act or Exchange Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder. The representations and warranties contained in this Section 4.20 will not apply to statements or omissions included in the Schedule 13E-3 or the Proxy Statement to the extent based upon information supplied to the Company by or on behalf of Parent or Merger Sub.

 

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Section 4.21         Opinion of Financial Advisors. The Special Committee has received the opinion of the Company Financial Advisor to the effect that, as of the date of this Agreement and based on and subject to the assumptions, qualifications, limitations and other matters set forth therein, the Per Share Merger Consideration and Per ADS Merger Consideration to be received by holders of Shares and ADSs (other than holders of Excluded Shares), as applicable, is fair, from a financial point of view, to such holders.

 

Section 4.22         Insurance. The Company and its Subsidiaries are either self-insured or have policies of insurance that afford coverage to the Company, its Subsidiaries and/or any of their respective properties or assets in each case in such amounts and with respect to such risks and losses, which the Company believes are adequate in all material respects for the operation of its business. The insurance policies are in full effect, no written notice of cancellation has been received by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries under such policies, and there is no existing default or event which, with the giving of notice or lapse of time or both, except as, individually or in the aggregate, has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect. The Company has no reason to believe that it or any of its Subsidiaries will not be able to (a) renew its existing insurance policies as and when such policies expire, or (b) obtain comparable coverage from comparable insurers as may be necessary to continue its business without a significant increase in cost.

 

Section 4.23         Brokers; Expenses. No broker, investment banker, financial advisor or other Person (other than the Company Financial Advisor), is entitled to receive any broker’s, finder’s, financial advisor’s or other similar fee or commission in connection with this Agreement, the Merger or the other Transactions based upon arrangements made by or on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

 

Section 4.24         Anti-Takeover Provisions. The Company is not party to a shareholder rights agreement, “poison pill” or similar anti−takeover agreement or plan. The Company Board has taken all necessary action so that any takeover, anti−takeover, moratorium, “fair price”, “control share” or other similar Laws enacted under any Laws applicable to the Company other than the CICL (each, a “Takeover Statute”) does not, and will not, apply to this Agreement or the Transactions.

 

Section 4.25         No Other Representations or Warranties. Except for the representations and warranties set forth in this Article IV, neither the Company nor any other Person makes any express or implied representation or warranty with respect to the Company or with respect to any other information provided to Parent or Merger Sub in connection with the Transactions. The Company hereby disclaims any other express or implied representations or warranties. The Company is not, directly or indirectly, making any representations or warranties regarding any pro-forma financial information, financial projections or other forward-looking information or statements of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

 

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ARTICLE V

REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
OF PARENT AND MERGER SUB

 

The following representations and warranties by Parent and Merger Sub are qualified in their entirety by reference to the disclosures set forth or referenced in the disclosure letter delivered by the Parent and Merger Sub to the Company immediately prior to the execution of this Agreement (the “Parent Disclosure Letter”). The Parties agree that each disclosure set forth in the Parent Disclosure Letter shall be deemed to (whether or not an explicit cross reference appears) qualify or modify the Section to which it corresponds and any other Section to the extent the applicability of the disclosure to each other Section is reasonably apparent on the face of such disclosure. Subject to the foregoing, Parent and Merger Sub, on a joint and several basis, represent and warrant to the Company that:

 

Section 5.1           Organization and Qualification; Subsidiaries. Each of Parent and Merger Sub (i) is an exempted company duly incorporated, validly existing and in good standing under the Laws of the Cayman Islands, and (ii) has the requisite corporate or similar power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and assets and to conduct its business as now being conducted. Each of Parent and Merger Sub is duly qualified or licensed to do business and is in good standing (with respect to jurisdictions which recognize such concept) in each jurisdiction in which the nature of its business or the ownership, leasing or operation of its properties makes such qualification or licensing necessary, except for those jurisdictions where the failure to be so qualified or licensed or to be in good standing would not reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate, prevent or materially impair or delay the consummation of the Merger. Parent has delivered to or made available to the Company, prior to the execution of this Agreement, true and complete copies of the memorandum and articles of association of Parent and Merger Sub, each as amended to date, and each as so delivered is in full force and effect.

 

Section 5.2           Merger Sub. As of the date of this Agreement, the authorized share capital of Merger Sub consists solely of 5,000,000 shares, par value $0.01 per share, of which one (1) ordinary share(s) is issued and outstanding. All of the issued and outstanding share capital of Merger Sub is, and immediately prior to the Effective Time will be, owned by Parent, free and clear of any Lien other than (a) any restrictions pursuant to the Parent Group Contracts or pursuant to applicable securities Laws or (b) Liens that would not reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate, prevent, delay or impede or impair the ability of Parent or Merger Sub to consummate the Transactions. Merger Sub was formed solely for the purpose of engaging in the Transactions, and has engaged in no other business activities and has conducted its operations only as contemplated hereby.

 

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Section 5.3           Authorization; Validity of Agreement; Parent Action. Each of Parent and Merger Sub has all necessary power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement, to perform their respective obligations hereunder and to consummate the Merger and the other Transactions. The execution, delivery and performance by each of Parent and Merger Sub of this Agreement, and the consummation by it of the Merger and the other Transactions, have been duly and validly authorized by all necessary corporate actions (including that each of the board of directors of Parent and Merger Sub and Parent as the sole shareholder of Merger Sub have duly and validly approved by resolution and authorized the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the consummation of the Transactions by Parent and Merger Sub, as the case may be, and taken all such actions as may be required to be taken by the board of directors of Parent and Merger Sub, and Parent as the sole shareholder of Merger Sub to effect the Transactions) and no other corporate action on the part of Parent or Merger Sub is necessary to authorize the execution and delivery by Parent and Merger Sub of this Agreement, and the consummation by it of the Transactions, subject, in the case of the Merger, to the filing of the Plan of Merger and other documents required by the CICL with the Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by Parent and Merger Sub and, assuming due and valid authorization, execution and delivery hereof by the Company, is a valid and binding obligation of Parent and Merger Sub enforceable against Parent and Merger Sub in accordance with its terms, except that the enforcement hereof may be limited by the Enforceability Exceptions.

 

Section 5.4           Consents and Approvals; No Violations. None of the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement by Parent or Merger Sub, the consummation by Parent or Merger Sub of the Merger or any of the other Transactions or compliance by Parent or Merger Sub with any of the provisions of this Agreement will (a) conflict with or result in any breach of any provision of the memorandum and articles of association of Parent or Merger Sub, (b) require any filing by Parent or Merger Sub with, or the obtaining of any permit, authorization, consent or approval of, any Governmental Entity (except for (i) compliance with any applicable requirements of the Exchange Act, (ii) the filing of the Plan of Merger with the Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands and the publication of notification of the Merger in the Cayman Islands Government Gazette pursuant to the CICL, (iii) filings, permits, authorizations, consents and approvals as may be required under any applicable Competition Law, (iv) such filings with the SEC as may be required to be made by Parent in connection with this Agreement and the Merger, including the joining of the Company in the filing of the Schedule 13E-3 (including the Proxy Statement), (v) such filings as may be required under the rules and regulations of the NASDAQ in connection with this Agreement or the Merger, (vi) such filings as may be required in connection with state and local transfer Taxes, or (vii) any applicable foreign or state securities or “blue sky” Laws and the rules and regulations thereunder), (c) result in a modification, violation or breach of, or constitute (with or without notice or lapse of time or both) a default (or give rise to any right, including any right of termination, amendment, cancellation or acceleration) under, any of the terms, conditions or provisions of any Contract to which Parent or Merger Sub is a party, or (d) violate any Order or Law applicable to Parent, Merger Sub or any of their respective properties, assets or operations; except in each of clauses (b), (c) or (d) where (A) any failure to obtain such permits, authorizations, consents or approvals, (B) any failure to make such filings, or (C) any such modifications, violations, rights, impositions, breaches or defaults has not had and would not reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate, prevent, materially delay or materially impede or impair the ability of Parent and Merger Sub to consummate the Transactions.

 

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Section 5.5           Available Funds and Equity Financing.

 

(a)          Parent has delivered to the Company true and complete copies of (i) executed equity commitment letters from the Sponsors dated as of the date of this Agreement (collectively, the “Equity Commitment Letters”) pursuant to which each Sponsor has committed to purchase, or cause the purchase of, for cash or contributed equity, subject to terms and conditions thereof, equity securities of Parent, up to the aggregate amount set forth in its Equity Commitment Letter (the “Equity Financing”), (ii) the Support Agreement and (iii) the Executive Excluded Securities Letters (together with the Equity Commitment Letters and the Support Agreement, the “Financing Commitments”). The proceeds of the Equity Financing shall be used to finance the consummation of the Transactions. The transactions contemplated under (x) the “Cancellation; Subscription” section of the Support Agreement and (y) Section A(ii) and Section B(ii) of each Executive Excluded Securities Letter, together with the Equity Financing, are collectively referred to as “Financing”.

 

(b)          As of the date hereof, (i) the Financing Commitments, in the form so delivered, are in full force and effect and are the legal, valid and binding obligations of Parent (subject to the Enforceability Exceptions) and, to the knowledge of Parent, the other parties thereto (subject to the Enforceability Exceptions), (ii) none of the Financing Commitments has been amended or modified and no such amendment or modification is contemplated (other than as permitted by this Section 5.5), (iii) the respective commitments contained in the Financing Commitments have not been withdrawn or rescinded in any material respect, and (iv) no event has occurred that (with or without notice, lapse of time, or both) would constitute a breach or default under the Financing Commitments by Parent and, to the knowledge of Parent, by the other parties thereto. There are no conditions precedent or other contingencies related to the funding of the full amount of the Equity Financing, other than as expressly set forth in the Equity Commitment Letters.

 

(c)          Assuming (i) the Equity Financing is funded in accordance with the Equity Commitment Letters, (ii) the contributions contemplated by the Support Agreement are made in accordance with the terms of the Support Agreement, and (iii) the satisfaction of the conditions to the obligation of Parent and Merger Sub to consummate the Merger as set forth in Section 8.1 and Section 8.2 or the waiver of such conditions, Parent and Merger Sub will have at and after the Closing funds sufficient for Merger Sub and the Surviving Entity to pay (A) the Merger Consideration, (B) the aggregate Option Consideration and aggregate RSU Award Consideration, and (C) any other amounts required to be paid in connection with the consummation of the Transactions upon the terms and conditions contemplated hereby and all related fees and expenses associated therewith. The Financing Commitments contain all of the conditions precedent to the obligations of the parties thereunder, as applicable, to make the Financing available to Parent or Merger Sub on the terms and conditions therein. As of the date hereof, Parent has no reason to believe that it will be unable to satisfy on a timely basis any term or condition of closing to be satisfied by it contained in the Financing Commitments or that any of the conditions to the Financing will not be satisfied or that the Financing will not be available to Parent or Merger Sub at the time required to consummate the Transactions. The Financing Commitments provide that the Company, in certain circumstances, is a third party beneficiary thereto with respect to the enforcement thereof. Parent and Merger Sub have fully paid any and all commitment fees or other fees that have been incurred and are due and payable in connection with the Financing Commitments prior to or in connection with the execution of this Agreement, and Parent and Merger Sub will pay when due all other commitment fees and other fees arising under the Financing Commitments as and when they become due and payable thereunder. There are no side letters or other oral or written Contracts to which Parent or any of its Affiliates is a party imposing conditions upon the funding or investing, as applicable, of the full amount of the Financing other than as expressly set forth in the Financing Commitments.

 

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Section 5.6           Limited Guarantees. Assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery by the Company, each Limited Guarantee is in full force and effect and is a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Guarantor that executed it, subject to the Enforceability Exceptions, and no event has occurred that, with or without notice, lapse of time or both, would constitute a default on the part of such Guarantor under such Limited Guarantee.

 

Section 5.7           Litigation. There is no Legal Proceeding pending against (or to Parent’s knowledge, threatened in writing against or naming as a party thereto), Parent or Merger Sub that would reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate, prevent or materially impair or delay the consummation of the Merger. Neither Parent nor any of its Subsidiaries is subject to any outstanding Order which has had or would reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate, prevent or materially impair or delay the consummation of the Merger.

 

Section 5.8           Brokers; Expenses. No broker, investment banker, financial advisor or other Person, is entitled to receive any broker’s, finder’s, financial advisor’s or other similar fee or commission in connection with this Agreement or the Merger based upon arrangements made by or on behalf of Parent, Merger Sub or any of their Subsidiaries.

 

Section 5.9           Investigation; Limitation on Warranties; Disclaimer of Other Representations and Warranties. Each of Parent and Merger Sub has conducted its own independent review and analysis of the business, operations, assets, intellectual property, technology, liabilities, results of operations, financial condition and prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries and acknowledges that each of Parent and Merger Sub has been provided access to personnel, properties, premises and records of the Company and its Subsidiaries for such purposes. Parent and Merger Sub each acknowledge and agree that, except for the representations and warranties expressly set forth in Article IV of this Agreement, (a) the Company does not make, and has not made, any representations or warranties relating to itself or its business or otherwise in connection with the Merger or the other Transactions and Parent and Merger Sub are not relying on any representation or warranty except for those expressly set forth in this Agreement, (b) no Person has been authorized by the Company to make any representation or warranty relating to itself or its business or otherwise in connection with the Merger, and if made, such representation or warranty must not be relied upon by Parent or Merger Sub as having been authorized by such party, (c) any estimates, projections, predictions, forecasts, plans, budgets, assumptions, data, financial information, memoranda, presentations or any other materials or information provided or addressed to Parent, Merger Sub or any of their Representatives are not and shall not be deemed to be or include representations or warranties unless any such materials or information is the subject of an express representation or warranty set forth in Article IV of this Agreement, and (d) there are uncertainties inherent in attempting to make the estimates, projections, predictions, forecasts, plans, budgets and assumptions referred to in clause (c) and Parent and Merger Sub are taking full responsibility for making their own evaluation of the adequacy and accuracy of such estimates, projections, predictions, forecasts, plans, budgets and assumptions so furnished to them (including the reasonableness of the assumptions underlying such information), and that neither Parent nor Merger Sub is relying on any estimates, projections, predictions, forecasts, plans, budgets or assumptions, data, memoranda or presentations furnished by the Company, its Subsidiaries or their respective Affiliates and Representatives, and neither Parent nor Merger Sub shall hold any such Person liable with respect thereto, other than for fraud in connection therewith.

 

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Section 5.10         No Other Representations or Warranties. Except for the representations and warranties set forth in this Article V, none of Parent, Merger Sub or any other Person makes any express or implied representation or warranty with respect to Parent, Merger Sub or with respect to any other information provided to the Company in connection with the Transactions. Parent and Merger Sub hereby disclaim any other express or implied representations or warranties. Neither Parent nor Merger Sub is, directly or indirectly, making any representations or warranties regarding any pro-forma financial information or financial projections, to the extent applicable, or other forward-looking information or statements of Parent or any of its Subsidiaries.

 

Section 5.11         Ownership of Equity Interests. As of the date hereof, other than as a result of this Agreement, the Support Agreement or as disclosed by any member of Parent Group on any Schedule 13D (including amendments thereof) filed with respect to the Company under the Exchange Act or as identified as “Rollover Shares” in the Support Agreement, no member of the Parent Group or any of their Affiliates beneficially owns (as such term is used in Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act) any Company Equity Interests.

 

Section 5.12         Parent Group Contracts. Other than this Agreement, the Support Agreement, the Limited Guarantees, the Equity Commitment Letters, the Interim Investors Agreement, the Consortium Agreement, the Executive Excluded Securities Letters, the Former CEO Letter Agreement, the Confidentiality Agreements and the documents set out in Section 5.12 of the Parent Disclosure Letter (collectively, the “Parent Group Contracts”), there are no Contracts, arrangements or understandings (whether oral or written) (i) between Parent, Merger Sub, the Rollover Shareholders, the Guarantors, the Sponsors or any of their respective Affiliates (excluding the Company and its Subsidiaries), on the one hand, and any directors, officers, employees or shareholders of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company, on the other hand, that relate in any way to the Transactions (other than any Contracts, arrangements or understandings entered into after the date hereof which solely relate to matters following the Effective Time and do not in any way affect the securities of the Company outstanding prior to the Effective Time); or (ii) to which Parent, Merger Sub, the Guarantors or any Affiliates of any Guarantor is a party and pursuant to which any management member, director or shareholder of the Company would be entitled to receive consideration in respect of Company Equity Interests of a different amount or nature than the consideration that is provided in this Agreement or pursuant to which any shareholder of the Company has agreed to vote to approve this Agreement or the Merger or has agreed to vote against any Superior Proposal.

 

Section 5.13         No Secured Creditors; Solvency.

 

(a)          None of Parent, Merger Sub or any of their respective Affiliates has any secured creditors holding a fixed or floating charge or security interest in respect of Parent, Merger Sub or their securities.

 

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(b)          None of Parent, Merger Sub or any of their respective Affiliates has taken any steps to effect or commence any liquidation, dissolution, restructuring, reorganization or otherwise seek protection pursuant to any bankruptcy or insolvency law, nor does such Person have any knowledge or reason to believe that its creditors intend to initiate any involuntary bankruptcy proceedings or any knowledge of any fact which would reasonably lead a creditor to do so.

 

ARTICLE VI

CONDUCT OF BUSINESS PENDING THE MERGER

 

Section 6.1           Conduct of Business by the Company Pending the Closing. The Company agrees that between the date of this Agreement and the Effective Time or the date, if any, on which this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 9.1, except (i) as set forth in Section 6.1 of the Disclosure Letter, (ii) as expressly required by this Agreement, (iii) as may be required by applicable Law, or (iv) as consented to in writing by Parent (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned), the Company (x) shall and shall cause its Subsidiaries to, conduct its business in all material respects in the ordinary course of business and use commercially reasonable efforts to preserve its business organization intact, and maintain its existing relations and goodwill with customers, suppliers, distributors and creditors, (y) shall and shall cause its Subsidiaries to, keep available the services of their current officers and key employees, and (z) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to:

 

(a)          amend its memorandum and articles of association or equivalent organizational documents;

 

(b)          split, combine, subdivide or reclassify any shares of capital stock of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries;

 

(c)          declare, set aside or pay any dividend on or make any other distributions (whether in cash, stock, property or otherwise) with respect to shares of capital stock of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or other equity securities or ownership interests in the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, except for the declaration and payment of dividends or other distributions to the Company or Company’s directly or indirectly wholly owned Subsidiaries (i) pursuant to the previously announced dividend policy or dividend declared prior to the date hereof or (ii) by the Company’s directly or indirectly wholly owned Subsidiaries to the Company or to another wholly owned Subsidiary of the Company, in each case, that is consistent with past practice;

 

(d)          except as required by a Company Benefit Plan (including the Company Equity Plans), redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire, or offer to redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire, any Company Equity Interests, except from holders of Company RSU Awards or Company Options in full or partial payment of any purchase price and any applicable Taxes payable by such holder upon the lapse of restrictions on, or exercise, settlement or vesting of, the Company RSU Awards or Company Options;

 

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(e)          acquire or agree to acquire (including by merger, consolidation or acquisition of stock or assets) any real property, personal property (other than real property or personal property at a total cost of less than One Million U.S. Dollars ($1,000,000) in the aggregate), corporation, partnership, limited liability company, other business organization or any division or material amount of assets thereof, except the pending acquisitions set forth on Section 6.1(e) of the Disclosure Letter (such acquisitions, the “Pending” Acquisitions”);

 

(f)          sell, pledge, lease, assign, transfer dispose of or encumber any property or assets, or voluntarily exercise any purchase or sale rights or rights of first offer, except (A) as set forth on Section 6.1(f) of the Disclosure Letter, (B) increased obligations under existing Liens resulting from Indebtedness incurred in accordance with Section 6.1(g), or (C) with respect to property or assets with a value of less than One Million U.S. Dollars ($1,000,000) in the aggregate;

 

(g)          incur, create, assume, refinance or replace any Indebtedness for borrowed money or issue or amend or modify the terms of any debt securities or assume, guarantee or endorse, or otherwise become responsible (whether directly, contingently or otherwise) for the Indebtedness of any other Person (other than a directly or indirectly wholly owned Subsidiary of the Company), except (A) Indebtedness incurred under the Company’s or its Subsidiaries’ existing credit facilities as in effect on the date hereof, or (B) the refinancing of any existing Indebtedness of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to the extent that (1) the material terms and conditions of any newly incurred Indebtedness are reasonable market terms, and (2) the aggregate principal amount of such Indebtedness is not increased as a result of such refinancing;

 

(h)          make any material loans, advances or capital contributions to, or investments in, any other Person (including to any of its officers, directors, Affiliates, agents or consultants), make any change in its existing borrowing or lending arrangements for or on behalf of such Persons, or enter into any “keep well” or similar agreement to maintain the financial condition of another entity, other than by the Company or a wholly owned Subsidiary thereof to the Company or a wholly owned Subsidiary thereof;

 

(i)          enter into, renew, modify, amend or terminate, or waive, release, compromise or assign any rights or claims under, any Material Contract (or any Contract that, if existing as of the date of this Agreement, would be a Material Contract), other than (A) any termination or renewal in accordance with the terms of any existing Material Contract that occur automatically without any action by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (B) the entry into any modification or amendment of, or waiver or consent under, any mortgage or related agreement to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party as required or necessitated by this Agreement or the Transactions; provided that any such modification, amendment, waiver or consent does not increase the principal amount thereunder or otherwise materially adversely affect the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or Parent, (C) as contemplated by or may be reasonably necessary to comply with the terms of this Agreement, or (D) actions permitted under clauses (A) through (C) of Section 6.1(g);

 

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(j)           settle or compromise any legal action, suit or arbitration proceeding, in each case made or pending against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, including any such matter relating to Taxes or the ownership of the Shares, other than settlements (A) requiring the Company or its Subsidiaries to pay monetary damages not exceeding Five Hundred Thousand U.S. Dollars ($500,000), (B) covered by existing insurance, and (C) not involving the admission of any wrongdoing by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries;

 

(k)          (i) establish, adopt, enter into, materially amend or terminate any Company Benefit Plan or collective bargaining agreement, or any plan, program, policy, or arrangement that would be a Company Benefit Plan if in effect on the date of this Agreement, (ii) increase the compensation, severance, perquisites or fringe benefits payable or to become payable to any current or former director, officer, employee or independent contractor of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, (iii) pay any bonus or severance pay to any current or former director, officer, employee or independent contractor of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, (iv) grant any stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted shares, stock-based or stock-related awards, restricted stock units or performance units, other than with respect to the grant of annual equity awards to directors of the Company, (v) accelerate the payment, right to payment or vesting of any compensation or benefits, including any Company Options or Company RSU Awards, other than as contemplated by Section 3.4 of this Agreement, or (vi) take any action to fund or in any other way secure the payment of compensation or benefits under any Company Benefit Plan or any plan, program, policy, practice or arrangement that would be a Company Plan if in effect on the date of this Agreement, except, in the case of each of clauses (i) through (vi), as required by applicable Law, this Agreement or any Company Benefit Plan;

 

(l)           make any material change to its methods of accounting in effect at December 31, 2015, except as required by a change in GAAP (or any interpretation thereof) or in applicable Law, or make any change, other than in the ordinary course of business, with respect to accounting policies, unless required by GAAP or the SEC;

 

(m)         enter into any material new line of business;

 

(n)          make or change any material Tax election, materially amend any Tax Return (except as required by applicable Law), enter into any material closing agreement with respect to Taxes, surrender any right to claim a material refund of Taxes, settle or finally resolve any material controversy with respect to Taxes or materially change any method of Tax accounting;

 

(o)          adopt a plan of merger, complete or partial liquidation, dissolution, consolidation, recapitalization or bankruptcy reorganization of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, except in connection with any Pending Acquisitions permitted pursuant to Section 6.1(e);

 

(p)          amend or modify the compensation terms or any other obligations of the Company contained in the engagement letters entered into with the Company Financial Advisor, in a manner materially adverse to the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or Parent or engage other financial advisers in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;

 

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(q)          make any capital expenditures or other investments except for ordinary course capital expenditures not to exceed One Million U.S. Dollars ($1,000,000) in the aggregate;

 

(r)          except for (A) issuances by a directly or indirectly wholly owned Subsidiary of the Company to the Company or another wholly owned Subsidiary thereof, or (B) issuances as a result of the exercise of Company Options or settlement of Company RSU Awards as of the date of this Agreement, issue, sell, pledge, dispose, encumber or grant any Shares or any of the Company’s Subsidiaries capital stock, or any options, warrants, convertible securities or other rights of any kind to acquire any Shares or any of the Company’s Subsidiaries capital stock or other equity interests;

 

(s)          transfer or license from any Person any rights to any Intellectual Property, or transfer or license to any Person any rights to any Company IP Rights (other than non-exclusive end-user licenses in connection with the sale of Company Products in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice), or transfer or provide a copy of any Company Source Code to any Person (including any current or former employee or consultant of the Company or any contractor or commercial partner of the Company) (other than providing access to Company Source Code to current employees and consultants of the Company or its Subsidiaries involved in the development of the Company Products on a need to know basis, consistent with past practice);

 

(t)           abandon, fail to maintain or allow to lapse, including by failure to pay the required fees in any jurisdiction, or disclaim, dedicate to the public, sell, assign or grant any security interest in, to or under any Company IP Rights or, other than in the ordinary course, develop, create or invent any Intellectual Property jointly with any third party;

 

(u)          fail to keep in force insurance policies providing insurance coverage with respect to the assets, operations and activities of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries as are currently in effect;

 

(v)          take any action that is intended or would reasonably be expected to, result in any of the conditions to the Merger set forth in Article VIII not being satisfied;

 

(w)         fail to make in a timely manner any filings with the SEC required under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; or

 

(x)          authorize, or enter into any contract, agreement, commitment or arrangement to do any of the foregoing.

 

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Section 6.2           Non-Solicit; Change in Recommendation.

 

(a)          Except as permitted by this Section 6.2, the Company shall and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries and direct each of their respective Representatives acting in such capacity (i) to immediately cease any solicitation, encouragement, discussions or negotiations with any Persons that may be ongoing with respect to or for the purpose of encouraging or facilitating a Competing Proposal, (ii) not release any third party from, or waive any provisions of, any confidentiality or standstill agreement to which the Company is a party with respect to any Competing Proposal, and (iii) from the date hereof until the Effective Time or, if earlier, the termination of this Agreement in accordance with Article IX, not, directly or indirectly, (A) solicit, initiate, knowingly encourage or facilitate any inquiries or the making of any proposal or offer with respect to a Competing Proposal (including by way of furnishing nonpublic information with respect to the Company), (B) engage in, continue or otherwise participate in any discussions or negotiations regarding, or furnish to any other Person nonpublic information in connection with or for the purpose of encouraging or facilitating, a Competing Proposal, (C) approve, endorse or recommend any Competing Transaction or authorize or execute or enter into any letter of intent, option agreement, agreement or agreement in principle contemplating or otherwise relating to a Competing Proposal (other than an Acceptable Confidentiality Agreement referenced under Section 6.2(b)) (each, an “Alternative Acquisition Agreement”), or (D) propose or agree to do any of the foregoing.

 

(b)          Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in Section 6.2(a), if at any time on or after the date hereof and prior to obtaining the Shareholder Approval, the Company or any of its Representatives receives a written Competing Proposal from any Person or group of Persons, which Competing Proposal was made or renewed on or after the date hereof and did not arise or result from a breach of this Section 6.2, (i) the Company and its Representatives may contact such Person or group of Persons solely in order to clarify and understand the terms and conditions thereof, and (ii) if the Company Board (acting upon recommendation of the Special Committee) or the Special Committee, determines in good faith, after consultation with independent financial advisors and outside legal counsel, that such Competing Proposal constitutes or would reasonably be expected to lead to a Superior Proposal, then the Company and its Representatives may (A) furnish, pursuant to an Acceptable Confidentiality Agreement, information (including non-public information) with respect to the Company and its Subsidiaries to the Person or group of Persons who has made such Competing Proposal; provided that the Company shall provide to Parent any non-public information concerning the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that is provided to any Person given such access which was not previously provided to Parent or its Representatives promptly after providing such information to such third party, and (B) engage in or otherwise participate in discussions or negotiations with the Person or group of Persons making such Competing Proposal.

 

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(c)          Except as expressly permitted by this Section 6.2(c) or Section 6.2(d), neither the Company Board (acting upon recommendation of the Special Committee) nor the Special Committee shall (A) fail to include the Company Board Recommendation in the Proxy Statement, (B) change, qualify, withhold, withdraw or modify, or publicly propose to change, qualify, withhold, withdraw or modify, in each case, in a manner adverse to Parent, the Company Board Recommendation, (C) take any formal action or make any recommendation or public statement in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer other than a recommendation against such offer, or (D) adopt, approve or recommend, or publicly propose to approve or recommend to the shareholders of the Company a Competing Proposal (any of the foregoing actions being referred to as a “Adverse Recommendation Change”); provided that a customary “stop, look and listen” communication by the Company Board pursuant to Rule 14d-9(f) of the Exchange Act or a statement that the Company board has received and is currently evaluating such Competing Proposal shall not be deemed to be an Adverse Recommendation Change. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, prior to the time the Shareholder Approval is obtained, but not after, the Company Board (acting upon recommendation of the Special Committee) or the Special Committee may make an Adverse Recommendation Change with respect to a Competing Proposal that was not solicited or obtained in breach of this Section 6.2, and/or terminate this Agreement pursuant to Section 9.1(h) and authorize the Company to enter into Alternative Acquisition Agreement with respect to a Superior Proposal that was not solicited or obtained in breach of this Section 6.2, in each case, if and only if, prior to taking such action, the Company Board (acting upon recommendation of the Special Committee) or the Special Committee has determined in good faith, after consultation with independent financial advisors and outside legal counsel, (x) that failure to take such action would reasonably be expected to violate the directors’ duties under applicable Law, and (y) that such Competing Proposal constitutes a Superior Proposal, after giving effect to all of the adjustments which may be offered by Parent pursuant to the following proviso; provided, however, that in connection with the Competing Proposal of any Person (1) the Company has given Parent at least five (5) business days’ prior written notice of its intention to take such action, which notice shall specify in reasonable detail the reasons therefor and describe all material terms and conditions of the Superior Proposal that is the basis for such action (it being understood that such material terms shall include the identity of the third party making the Superior Proposal), (2) the Company has, to the extent requested by and with the cooperation of Parent, negotiated, and has caused its Representatives to negotiate, in good faith with Parent during such notice period, to the extent Parent wishes to negotiate, to enable Parent to propose revisions to the terms of this Agreement such that it would cause such Superior Proposal to no longer constitute a Superior Proposal, (3) following the end of such notice period, the Company Board (acting upon recommendation of the Special Committee) or the Special Committee shall have considered in good faith any proposed revisions to this Agreement proposed in writing by Parent, and shall have determined in good faith, following consultation with independent financial advisors and outside legal counsel, that the Superior Proposal would continue to constitute a Superior Proposal if such revisions were to be given effect, and (4) in the event of any material change to the material terms of such Superior Proposal, such materially changed Superior Proposal shall be deemed a new Superior Proposal and the Company shall, in each case, be required to again comply with the requirements of sub-clauses (1) through (4), except that the notice period referred to in sub-clause (1) shall be at least three (3) business days.

 

(d)          Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, prior to the time the Shareholder Approval is obtained, the Company Board (acting upon recommendation of the Special Committee) or the Special Committee may make an Adverse Recommendation Change (other than in response to a Superior Proposal, which shall be covered by the other provisions hereof) if and only if (i) a material development or change in circumstances has occurred or arisen or first become known to the Special Committee after the date of this Agreement that was neither known to such party nor reasonably foreseeable as of the date of this Agreement (and which change or development does not relate to a Competing Proposal) (an “Intervening Event”), (ii) the Company Board has first reasonably determined in good faith, after consultation with outside legal counsel, that failure to do so would reasonably be expected to violate the directors’ duties under applicable Law, (iii) five (5) business days shall have elapsed since the Company has given notice of such Adverse Recommendation Change to Parent advising that it intends to take such action and specifying in reasonable detail the reasons therefor, (iv) during such five (5) business day period, the Company has considered and, at the reasonable request of Parent, engaged in good faith discussions with Parent regarding, any adjustment or modification to the terms of this Agreement proposed by Parent, and (v) the Company Board (acting upon recommendation of the Special Committee) or the Special Committee, following such five (5) business day period, again reasonably determines in good faith, after consultation with outside legal counsel and taking into account any adjustment or modification to the terms of this Agreement proposed by Parent, that failure to do so would reasonably be expected to violate the directors’ duties under applicable Law.

 

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(e)          Nothing in this Agreement shall prohibit the Company Board (acting upon recommendation of the Special Committee) or the Special Committee from: (i) taking and disclosing to the shareholders of the Company a position contemplated by Rule 14e-2(a), Rule 14d-9 or Item 1012(a) of Regulation M-A promulgated under the Exchange Act, if failure to do so would violate applicable Law, or (ii) making any “stop, look and listen” communication to the Company’s shareholders pursuant to Rule 14d-9(f) promulgated under the Exchange Act; provided that the foregoing shall not permit the Company Board or the Special Committee to make any Adverse Recommendation Change except as permitted by Section 6.2(c) and Section 6.2(d).

 

(f)          The Company shall notify Parent promptly (but in no event later than thirty-six (36) hours) after its receipt of any Competing Proposal, or any request for nonpublic information relating to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries by any Person that informs the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that it is considering making, or has made, a Competing Proposal, or any inquiry from any Person seeking to have discussions or negotiations with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries relating to a possible Competing Proposal, or any material change to any terms of a Competing Proposal previously disclosed to Parent. Such notice shall be in writing, and shall indicate the identity of the Person making the Competing Proposal, inquiry or request and all material terms and conditions of such Competing Proposal, inquiry, request or offers. The Company shall also promptly, and in any event within twenty-four (24) hours, notify Parent in writing if it enters into discussions or negotiations concerning any Competing Proposal or provides nonpublic information to any person in accordance with this Section 6.2. In addition, following the date hereof, the Company shall keep Parent reasonably informed on a reasonably current basis of any material developments with respect to the discussions or negotiations regarding any Competing Proposal and upon the written request of Parent shall apprise Parent of the status of such Competing Proposal (including, by providing a copy of all material documentation relating thereto). The Company agrees that it and its Subsidiaries will not enter into any confidentiality agreement with any Person subsequent to the date of this Agreement which prohibits it from providing any information to Parent in accordance with this Section 6.2.

 

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(g)          As used in this Agreement, “Competing Proposal” shall mean any proposal or offer from any Person (other than Parent and Merger Sub) or “group”, within the meaning of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act, relating to, in a single transaction or series of related transactions, any (i) acquisition of assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries equal to 20% or more of the Company’s consolidated assets or to which 20% or more of the Company’s revenues or earnings on a consolidated basis are attributable, (ii) acquisition of 20% or more of the outstanding Shares (including Shares represented by ADSs), (iii) tender offer or exchange offer that if consummated would result in any Person beneficially owning 20% or more of the outstanding Shares (including Shares represented by ADSs), (iv) merger, consolidation, share exchange, business combination, recapitalization, liquidation, dissolution or similar transaction involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries which, in the case of a merger, consolidation, share exchange or business combination, would result in any Person acquiring assets, individually or in the aggregate, constituting 20% or more of the Company’s consolidated assets or to which 20% or more of the Company’s revenues or earnings on a consolidated basis are attributable, or (v) any combination of the foregoing types of transactions if the sum of the percentage of consolidated assets, consolidated revenues or earnings and Shares involved is 20% or more; in each case, other than the Transactions.

 

(h)          As used in this Agreement, “Superior Proposal” shall mean any bona fide written Competing Proposal that the Company Board (acting upon the recommendation of the Special Committee) has determined in good faith, after consultation with its financial advisors and outside legal counsel, and taking into account all legal, regulatory and other aspects of the proposal and the Person making the proposal (including any break-up fees, expense reimbursement provisions and conditions to consummation), is more favorable to the Company and its shareholders than the Transactions (including, as the case may be, any revisions to the terms of this Agreement proposed by Parent in response to such proposal or otherwise) and is reasonably likely to receive all required governmental approvals and financing on a timely basis and is otherwise reasonably capable of being completed on the terms proposed; provided, that for purposes of the definition of “Superior Proposal”, the references to “20%” in the definition of Competing Proposal shall be deemed to be references to “50%;” provided, further, that any such offer shall not be deemed to be a “Superior Proposal” if (A) the offer is conditional upon any due diligence review or investigation of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (B) any financing required to consummate the transaction contemplated by such proposal is not then fully committed to the Person making such proposal and non-contingent, (C) the consummation of the transaction contemplated by such proposal is conditional upon the obtaining and/or funding of such financing, or (D) the transaction contemplated by such proposal is not reasonably capable of being completed on the terms proposed without unreasonable delay.

 

(i)          The Company shall not submit to the vote of its shareholders any Competing Proposal other than the Merger prior to the termination of this Agreement.

 

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Section 6.3           Proxy Statement and Schedule 13E-3.

 

(a)          As soon as practicable following the date hereof, the Company with the assistance of Parent and Merger Sub, shall prepare the Proxy Statement. Concurrently with the preparation of the Proxy Statement, the Company, Parent and Merger Sub shall jointly prepare and cause to be filed with the SEC a Rule 13e−3 transaction statement on Schedule 13E−3 relating to the authorization and approval of this Agreement, the Plan of Merger and the Transactions by the shareholders of the Company (such Schedule 13E−3, as amended or supplemented, being referred to herein as the “Schedule 13E−3”). Each of the Company, Parent and Merger Sub shall use its reasonable best efforts to ensure that the Proxy Statement and the Schedule 13E−3 comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. Each of the Company, Parent and Merger Sub shall use its reasonable best efforts to respond promptly to any comments of the SEC with respect to the Proxy Statement and the Schedule 13E−3. Each of Parent and Merger Sub shall provide reasonable assistance and cooperation to the Company in the preparation, filing and distribution of the Proxy Statement, the Schedule 13E−3 and the resolution of comments from the SEC. Upon its receipt of any comments from the SEC or its staff or any request from the SEC or its staff for amendments or supplements to the Proxy Statement and the Schedule 13E−3, the Company shall promptly notify Parent and Merger Sub and in any event within twenty-four (24) hours and shall provide Parent with copies of all correspondence between the Company and its representatives, on the one hand, and the SEC and its staff, on the other hand. Prior to filing the Schedule 13E−3 or mailing the Proxy Statement (or in each case, any amendment or supplement thereto) or responding to any comments of the SEC with respect thereto, the Company (i) shall provide Parent and Merger Sub with a reasonable period of time to review and comment on such document or response and (ii) shall consider in good faith all additions, deletions or changes reasonably proposed by Parent in good faith.

 

(b)          Each of the Company, Parent and Merger Sub shall promptly furnish all information concerning such Party to the others as may be reasonably requested in connection with the preparation, filing and distribution of the Proxy Statement, the Schedule 13E-3 or any other documents filed or to be filed with the SEC in connection with the Transactions. Each of Parent, Merger Sub and the Company agrees, as to itself and its respective Affiliates or Representatives, that none of the information supplied or to be supplied by Parent, Merger Sub or the Company, as applicable, expressly for inclusion or incorporation by reference in the Proxy Statement, the Schedule 13E−3 or any other documents filed or to be filed with the SEC in connection with the Transactions, will, as of the time such documents (or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto) are mailed to the holders of Shares and at the time of the Shareholder Meeting, contain any untrue statement of a material fact, or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. Each of Parent, Merger Sub and the Company further agrees that all documents that such party is responsible for filing with the SEC in connection with the Merger will comply as to form and substance in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and any other applicable Laws and that all information supplied by such party for inclusion or incorporation by reference in such document will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact, or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. If at any time prior to the Effective Time, any event or circumstance relating to Parent, Merger Sub or the Company, or their respective Affiliates, officers or directors, should be discovered that should be set forth in an amendment or a supplement to the Proxy Statement or the Schedule 13E−3 so that such document would not include any misstatement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading, the Party discovering such event or circumstance shall promptly inform the other Parties and an appropriate amendment or supplement describing such event or circumstance shall be promptly filed with the SEC and disseminated to the shareholders of the Company to the extent required by Law; provided that prior to such filing, the Company and Parent, as the case may be, shall consult with each other with respect to such amendment or supplement and shall afford the other party and their Representatives a reasonable opportunity to comment thereon.

 

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(c)          At the Shareholder Meeting, and any other meeting of the shareholders of the Company called to seek the Shareholder Approval or in any other circumstances upon which a vote, consent or other approval (including by written consent) with respect to this Agreement, the Plan of Merger or the Transactions contemplated herein is sought, Parent shall vote, and shall cause the Rollover Shareholders and their respective Affiliates to vote, or cause to be voted, all Shares (including Shares represented by ADSs) held directly or indirectly by the Rollover Shareholders and their respective Affiliates as of the date hereof in favor of the authorization and approval of this Agreement, the Plan of Merger and the Transactions.

 

Section 6.4           Shareholder Meeting.

 

(a)          As soon as practicable after the SEC confirms that it has no further comments on the Schedule 13E−3 and the Proxy Statement, the Company shall (i) establish a record date for determining shareholders of the Company entitled to vote at the Shareholder Meeting (the “Record Date”) and shall not change such Record Date or establish a different record date for the Shareholder Meeting without the prior written consent of Parent, unless required to do so by applicable Laws or the Company Governing Documents and in the event that the date of the Shareholder Meeting as originally called is for any reason adjourned or postponed or otherwise delayed, the Company agrees that unless Parent shall have otherwise approved in writing or as required by applicable Laws or stock exchange requirement, the Company shall, if possible, implement such adjournment or postponement or other delay in such a way that the Company does not need to establish a new Record Date for the Shareholder Meeting, as so adjourned, postponed or delayed, (ii) mail or cause to be mailed the Proxy Statement to the holders of Shares, including Shares represented by ADSs, as of the Record Date, for the purpose of voting upon the authorization and approval of this Agreement, the Plan of Merger and the Transactions and (iii) instruct the Depositary to (A) fix the Record Date as the record date for determining the holders of ADSs who shall be entitled to give instructions for the exercise of the voting rights pertaining to the Shares represented by ADSs (the “Record ADS Holders”), (B) provide all proxy solicitation materials to all Record ADS Holders and (C) vote all Shares represented by ADSs in accordance with the instructions of such corresponding Record ADS Holders. Subject to Section 6.4(b), without the prior written consent of Parent, the authorization and approval of this Agreement, the Plan of Merger and the Transactions, are the only matters (other than procedural matters) that shall be proposed to be voted upon by the shareholders of the Company at the Shareholder Meeting.

 

(b)          Subject to Section 6.2, (i) the Company Board shall recommend to holders of the Shares that they authorize and approve this Agreement, the Plan of Merger and the Transactions, and shall include such recommendation in the Proxy Statement and (ii) the Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to solicit from its shareholders proxies in favor of the authorization and approval of this Agreement, the Plan of Merger and the Transactions and shall take all other action necessary or advisable to secure the Shareholder Approval. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, unless this Agreement is validly terminated in accordance with Section 9.1 or except as provided in Section 6.2, (x) the Company’s obligations pursuant to this Section 6.4 shall not be limited or otherwise affected by the commencement, public proposal, public disclosure or communication to the Company or any other Person of any Competing Proposal, and (y) the Company’s obligations pursuant to this Section 6.4 (other than this Section 6.4(b)) shall not be limited or otherwise affected by any Adverse Recommendation Change.

 

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(c)          Notwithstanding Section 6.4(b), after consultation in good faith with Parent, the Company may recommend the adjournment of the Shareholder Meeting to its shareholders (i) to the extent necessary to ensure that any required supplement or amendment to the Proxy Statement is provided to the holders of Shares within a reasonable amount of time in advance of the Shareholder Meeting, (ii) as otherwise required by applicable Law, (iii) if as of the time for which the Shareholder Meeting is scheduled as set forth in the Proxy Statement, there are insufficient Shares represented (in person or by proxy) to constitute a quorum necessary to conduct the business of the Shareholder Meeting or (iv) if an Intervening Event has occurred and the Company Board (acting upon the recommendation of the Special Committee) or the Special Committee determines, in its good faith judgment upon advice by outside legal counsel engaged by the Special Committee, that the failure to take such action would reasonably be expected to violate its fiduciary duties under applicable Law. If the Shareholder Meeting is adjourned, the Company shall convene and hold the Shareholder Meeting as soon as reasonably practicable thereafter, subject to the immediately preceding sentence; provided that the Company shall not recommend to its shareholders the adjournment of the Shareholder Meeting to a date that is less than five (5) business days prior to the Outside Date.

 

(d)          The Company shall hold the Shareholder Meeting as promptly as practicable following the mailing of the Proxy Statement in accordance with the Company Governing Documents and applicable Laws. Parent may request that the Company adjourn or postpone the Shareholder Meeting for up to sixty (60) days (but in any event no later than fifteen (15) business days prior to the Outside Date), (i) if as of the time for which the Shareholder Meeting is originally scheduled (as set forth in the Proxy Statement) there are insufficient Shares represented (either in person or by proxy) (A) to constitute a quorum necessary to conduct the business of the Shareholder Meeting or (B) voting in favor of approval of this Agreement and the Transactions to obtain the Shareholder Approval, or (ii) in order to allow reasonable additional time for (A) the filing and mailing of, at the reasonable request of Parent, any supplemental or amended disclosure and (B) such supplemental or amended disclosure to be disseminated and reviewed by the Company’s shareholders prior to the Shareholder Meeting, in which event the Company shall, in each case, cause the Shareholder Meeting to be postponed or adjourned in accordance with Parent’s request.

 

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ARTICLE VII

ADDITIONAL AGREEMENTS

 

Section 7.1           Access; Confidentiality; Notice of Certain Events.

 

(a)          From the date of this Agreement until the Effective Time or the date, if any, on which this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 9.1, and subject to applicable Laws, the Company shall, and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to, upon reasonable prior written notice, give Parent and its authorized Representatives, reasonable access during normal business hours to all of the Company’s contracts, books, records, analysis, projections, plans, systems, senior management, commitments, offices and other facilities and properties; provided that all such access shall be coordinated through the Company or its Representatives. The terms of the Confidentiality Agreements shall apply to any information provided pursuant to this Section 7.1. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, the Company shall not be required to provide access to, or to disclose information, to the extent such access or disclosure would (i) jeopardize the attorney-client or similar privilege of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (ii) unreasonably interfere with the Company’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ business operations, (iii) contravene any applicable Law (including with respect to any competitively sensitive information, if any) or contractual restriction or obligations, or (iv) violates any of its obligations with respect to confidentiality (provided that, in the case of each of (i) through (iv), the Company shall use reasonable efforts to allow such access or disclosure in a manner that does not result in loss or waiver of such privilege, including entering into appropriate common interest or similar agreements).

 

(b)          The Company shall give prompt written notice to Parent, and Parent shall give prompt written notice to the Company, (i) of any notice or other communication received by such Party from any Governmental Entity in connection with this Agreement, the Merger or the other Transactions, or from any Person alleging that the consent of such Person (or another Person) is or may be required in connection with the Merger or the other Transactions, if the subject matter of such communication or the failure of such Party to obtain such consent would reasonably be expected to be material to the Company, the Surviving Entity or Parent, (ii) of any Legal Proceeding commenced or, to any Party’s knowledge, threatened against, such Party or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates, in each case in connection with, arising from or otherwise relating to the Merger or any other Transaction, or (iii) upon becoming aware of the occurrence or impending occurrence of any Effect to it or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates, which (A) individually or in the aggregate, would or would reasonably be expected to, prevent, materially delay or materially impede the ability of Parent or Merger Sub to consummate the Merger or the other Transactions in accordance with the terms of this Agreement or (B) individually or in the aggregate, would or would be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect, as the case may be. No failure or delay in delivering any such notice shall affect any of the conditions set forth in Article VIII.

 

Section 7.2           Efforts; Consents and Approvals.

 

(a)          Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, each of the Parties will use its reasonable best efforts to (i) take, or cause to be taken, all appropriate action and do, or cause to be done, all things necessary, proper or advisable under applicable Law or otherwise to consummate and make effective the Transactions as promptly as practicable, (ii) obtain, or cause their Affiliates to obtain, from any Governmental Entities any consents, licenses, permits, waivers, approvals, authorizations or orders required to be obtained by Parent or the Company or any of their respective Subsidiaries, or to avoid any action or proceeding by any Governmental Entity, in connection with the authorization, execution and delivery of this Agreement and the consummation of the Transactions, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably practicable after the date hereof, make, or cause their Affiliates to make, all necessary filings, and thereafter make any other required submissions, and pay any fees due in connection therewith, with respect to this Agreement and the Transactions under other applicable Law; provided, that the Parties will cooperate with each other in determining whether any action by or in respect of, or filing with, any Governmental Entity is required, in connection with the consummation of the Transactions and seeking any such actions, consents, approvals or waivers or making any such filings. The Company and Parent will furnish, and cause their Affiliates to furnish, to each other all information required for any application or other filing under the rules and regulations of any applicable Law in connection with the Transactions.

 

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(b)          The Parties will give (or will cause their respective Affiliates to give) any notices to third parties, and use, and cause their respective Affiliates to use, their commercially reasonable efforts to obtain any third-party consents necessary or required to consummate the Transactions.

 

(c)          Without limiting the generality of anything contained in this Section 7.2, each Party will, and will cause their Affiliates to: (i) give the other Parties prompt notice of the making or commencement of any request, inquiry, investigation, action or legal proceeding by or before any Governmental Entity with respect to the Merger or any of the other Transactions; (ii) keep the other Parties informed as to the status of any such request, inquiry, investigation, action or legal proceeding; and (iii) promptly inform the other parties of any communication to or from any Governmental Entity regarding the Merger. Each Party will consult and cooperate, and will cause its Affiliates to consult and cooperate, with the other Parties and will consider in good faith the views of the other Parties in connection with any filing, analysis, appearance, presentation, memorandum, brief, argument, opinion or proposal made or submitted in connection with the Merger or any of the other Transactions. In addition, except as may be prohibited by any Governmental Entity or by any Law, in connection with any such request, inquiry, investigation, action or legal proceeding, each Party will permit, and will cause its Affiliates to permit, authorized Representatives of the other Parties to be present at each meeting or conference relating to such request, inquiry, investigation, action or legal proceeding and to have access to and be consulted in connection with any document, opinion or proposal made or submitted to any Governmental Entity in connection with such request, inquiry, investigation, action or legal proceeding.

 

(d)          To the extent it is determined by the Parties in good faith that any filings or submissions are required to be made with respect to the Transactions under any applicable Competition Laws to any competent Governmental Entity, each of Parent, Merger Sub and the Company will, and will cause its Affiliates to, (i) make, and cooperate and coordinate with each other in the making of such filings or submissions as promptly as practicable with or to each such competent Governmental Entity, (ii) supply each other or each other’s outside counsel with any information that may be required or requested by any such Governmental Entity in connection with such filings or submissions, (iii) supply any additional information that may be required or requested by such Governmental Entity in which any such filings or submissions are made under any such applicable Competition Laws as promptly as practicable, and (iv) use its reasonable best efforts to cause the expiration or termination of the applicable waiting periods under any such applicable Competition Laws as soon as reasonably practicable.

 

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(e)          Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing contained in this Agreement will require, or be construed to require, Parent or any of its Affiliates to, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries shall, proffer to, or agree to, sell, divest, lease, license, transfer, dispose of or otherwise encumber or hold separate, before or after the Effective Time, any of the assets, licenses, operations, rights, products or businesses held by any of them prior to the Effective Time, or any interest therein, or to agree to any material change (including through a licensing arrangement) or restriction on, or other impairment of Parent’s or any of its Affiliates’ (including, after the Effective Time, the Company or its Subsidiaries) ability to own, manage or operate, any such assets, licenses, operations, rights, products or businesses, or any interest therein, or Parent’s ability to vote, transfer, receive dividends or otherwise exercise full ownership rights with respect to the stock of the Surviving Entity (any of the actions referred to in this Section 7.2(e), a “Non-Required Remedy”).

 

Section 7.3           Publicity. So long as this Agreement is in effect, neither the Company nor Parent, nor any of their respective Affiliates, shall issue or cause the publication of any press release or other announcement with respect to the Merger or this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other Party, unless such Party determines, after consultation with outside counsel, that it is required by applicable Law or by any listing agreement with or the listing rules of a national securities exchange or trading market to issue or cause the publication of any press release or other announcement with respect to the Merger or this Agreement, in which event such Party shall provide a reasonable opportunity to the other Party to review and comment upon such press release or other announcement and shall give due consideration to all reasonable additions, deletions or changes suggested thereto; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to provide any such review or comment to Parent, in connection with the receipt and existence of a Competing Proposal and matters related thereto or an Adverse Recommendation Change; provided, further, that each Party and their respective controlled Affiliates may make statements that are not inconsistent with previous press releases, public disclosures or public statements made by Parent and the Company in compliance with this Section 7.3.

 

Section 7.4           Directors’ and Officers’ Insurance and Indemnification.

 

(a)          Parent shall, and shall cause the Surviving Entity and each of the Company’s Subsidiaries to, for a period of six (6) years after the Effective Time (and until such later date as of which any matter covered hereby commenced during such six (6) year period shall have been finally disposed of), honor and fulfill in all respects the obligations of such Person to the fullest extent permissible under applicable Law, under the Company Governing Documents, and corresponding organizational or governing documents of such Subsidiary, in each case, as in effect on the date hereof and under any indemnification or other similar agreements in effect on the date hereof (the “Indemnification Agreements”) to the individuals entitled to indemnification, exculpation and/or advancement of expenses under such Company Governing Documents, other organizational or governing documents or Indemnification Agreements (including each present and former director and officer of the Company and its Subsidiaries) (the “Covered Persons”) arising out of or relating to actions or omissions in their capacity as such occurring at or prior to the Effective Time, including in connection with the consideration, negotiation and approval of this Agreement and the Transactions.

 

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(b)          Without limiting the provisions of Section 7.4(a), for a period of six (6) years after the Effective Time (and until such later date as of which any matter covered hereby commenced during such six (6) year period shall have been finally disposed of), Parent shall, and shall cause the Surviving Entity to, comply with all of the Company’s obligations to: (i) indemnify and hold harmless each Covered Person against and from any costs or expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines, losses, claims, damages, liabilities and amounts paid in settlement in connection with any claim, action, suit, proceeding or investigation, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, to the extent such claim, action, suit, proceeding or investigation arises out of or pertains to: (A) any action or omission or alleged action or omission in such Covered Person’s capacity as such prior to the Effective Time, or (B) this Agreement and any of the Transactions, and (ii) pay in advance of the final disposition of any such claim, action, suit, proceeding or investigation the expenses (including attorneys’ fees) of any Covered Person upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such Covered Person to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such Covered Person is not entitled to be indemnified. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 7.4 or elsewhere in this Agreement, Parent and the Surviving Entity (x) shall not be liable for any settlement effected without their prior written consent (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned), (y) shall not have any obligation under this Agreement to any Covered Person to the extent that a court of competent jurisdiction shall determine in a final and non-appealable order that such indemnification is prohibited by applicable Law, in which case the Covered Person shall promptly refund to Parent or the Surviving Entity the amount of all such expenses theretofore advanced pursuant thereto (unless such court orders otherwise), and (z) shall not settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment or otherwise seek termination with respect to any claim, action, suit, proceeding or investigation of a Covered Person for which indemnification may be sought under this Section 7.4(b) unless such settlement, compromise, consent or termination includes an unconditional release of such Covered Person from all liability arising out of such claim, action, suit, proceeding or investigation and does not include any admission of liability with respect to such Covered Person or such Covered Person consents in writing.

 

(c)          For a period of six (6) years after the Effective Time (and until such later date as of which any matter covered hereby commenced during such six (6) year period shall have been finally disposed of), the organizational and governing documents of the Surviving Entity and each of the Company’s Subsidiaries shall, to the extent consistent with applicable Law, contain provisions no less favorable with respect to indemnification, advancement of expenses and exculpation of Covered Persons for periods prior to and including the Effective Time than are currently set forth in the Company Governing Documents and the organizational and governing documents of each of the Company’s Subsidiaries in effect on the date hereof (as the case may be) and shall not contain any provision to the contrary. The Indemnification Agreements with Covered Persons that survive the Merger shall continue in full force and effect in accordance with their terms.

 

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(d)          For a period of six (6) years after the Effective Time (and until such later date as of which any matter covered hereby commenced during such six (6) year period shall have been finally disposed of), Parent shall cause to be maintained in effect the current policies of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance maintained by the Company (provided that Parent may substitute therefor policies with reputable and financially sound carriers of at least the same coverage and amounts containing terms and conditions which are no less advantageous) with respect to claims arising from or related to facts or events which occurred at or before the Effective Time; provided, however, that Parent shall not be obligated to make annual premium payments for such insurance to the extent such premiums exceed 300% of the annual premiums paid as of the date hereof by the Company for such insurance (such 300% amount, the “Base Premium”); provided, further, if such insurance coverage cannot be obtained at all, or can only be obtained at an annual premium in excess of the Base Premium, Parent shall maintain the most advantageous policies of directors’ and officers’ insurance obtainable for an annual premium equal to the Base Premium; provided, further, if the Company in its sole discretion elects, by giving written notice to Parent at least five (5) business days prior to the Effective Time, then, in lieu of the foregoing insurance, effective as of the Effective Time, the Company shall purchase a directors’ and officers’ liability insurance “tail” or “runoff” insurance program for a period of six (6) years after the Effective Time with respect to wrongful acts and/or omissions committed or allegedly committed at or prior to the Effective Time (such coverage shall have an aggregate coverage limit over the term of such policy in an amount not to exceed the annual aggregate coverage limit under the Company’s existing directors’ and officers’ liability policy, and in all other respects shall be comparable to such existing coverage); provided, further, that the annual premium shall not exceed the Base Premium.

 

(e)          Upon being served with any summons, citation, subpoena, complaint, indictment, information, or other document relating to any Legal Proceeding which may result in the payment or advancement of any amounts under Section 7.4, the organizational and governing documents of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or any Indemnification Agreements, the person seeking indemnification shall promptly notify the Surviving Entity to prevent the Surviving Entity or any of its Subsidiaries from being materially and adversely prejudiced by late notice. The Surviving Entity (or a Subsidiary nominated by it) shall have the right to participate in any such Legal Proceeding and, at its option, assume the defense of such Legal Proceeding. The person seeking indemnification shall have the right to effectively participate in the defense and/or settlement of such Legal Proceeding, including receiving copies of all correspondence and participating in all meetings and teleconferences concerning the Legal Proceeding. In the event the Surviving Entity (or a Subsidiary nominated by it) assumes the defense of any Legal Proceeding pursuant to this Section 7.4(e), neither the Surviving Entity nor any of its Subsidiaries shall be liable to the person seeking indemnification for any fees of counsel subsequently incurred by such person with respect to the same Legal Proceeding.

 

(f)          In the event the Company or the Surviving Entity or any of their respective successors or assigns (i) consolidates with or merges into any other Person and shall not be the continuing or surviving corporation or entity of such consolidation or merger or (ii) transfers all or substantially all of its properties and assets to any Person, then, and in each such case, proper provision shall be made so that the successors and assigns of the Company or the Surviving Entity, as the case may be, or at Parent’s option, Parent, shall assume the obligations set forth in this Section 7.4.

 

(g)          The provisions of this Section 7.4 shall survive the consummation of the Merger. The Covered Persons (and their successors and heirs) are intended express third party beneficiaries of this Section 7.4 and shall be entitled to enforce the provisions of this Section 7.4. All rights under this Section 7.4 are intended to be in addition to and not in substitution of other rights any Covered Persons may otherwise have.

 

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Section 7.5           Takeover Statutes. The Parties and their respective board of directors (or equivalent) shall use their respective commercially reasonable efforts (a) to take all action necessary so that no Takeover Statute is or becomes applicable to the Merger or any of the other Transactions, and (b) if any such Takeover Statute is or becomes applicable to any of the foregoing, to take all action necessary so that the Merger and the other Transactions may be consummated as promptly as practicable on the terms contemplated by this Agreement and otherwise to lawfully eliminate or minimize the effect of such Takeover Statute on the Merger and the other Transactions.

 

Section 7.6           Control of Operations. Without limiting any Party’s rights or obligations under this Agreement, the Parties understand and agree that (a) nothing contained in this Agreement shall give Parent, directly or indirectly, the right to control or direct the Company’s operations prior to the Effective Time, and (b) prior to the Effective Time, the Company shall exercise, consistent with the terms and conditions of this Agreement, complete control and supervision over its operations.

 

Section 7.7           Security Holder Litigation. The Company shall promptly notify Parent of any Legal Proceeding related to this Agreement, the Merger or the other Transactions threatened or brought against the Company, its directors and/or officers by security holders of the Company (a “Transaction Litigation”). The Company shall provide Parent a reasonable opportunity to participate, in (but, subject to Section 6.1(j), not control), the defense of a Transaction Litigation, including the opportunity to review material communications and participate in material meetings with opposing counsel or any Governmental Entity in connection with a Transaction Litigation. Except to the extent required by applicable Law, the Company shall not enter into any settlement agreement, agree to any undertakings or approve or otherwise agree to any waiver that may be sought in connection with a Transaction Litigation, without the prior written consent of Parent (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed).

 

Section 7.8           Director Resignations. Upon the written request of Parent which shall be furnished to the Company at least ten (10) business days prior to the Closing Date, the Company shall use reasonable best efforts to cause each director of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries designated by Parent and in office immediately prior to the Effective Time to deliver to Parent resignations, effective as of Effective Time, with respect to their service as directors of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

 

Section 7.9           Corporate Matters. Prior to Closing, the Company shall cause the relevant VIEs to take such actions with respect to the restructuring of the relevant VIE corporate organization as set forth on and subject to Section 7.9 of the Disclosure Letter.

 

Section 7.10         Stock Exchange Delisting. Prior to the Effective Time, the Company shall cooperate with Parent and use reasonable best efforts to take, or cause to be taken, all actions, and do or cause to be done all things, reasonably necessary, proper or advisable on its part under applicable Laws and rules and policies of NASDAQ to enable the delisting of the Surviving Entity from NASDAQ and the deregistration of the Ordinary Shares and ADSs under the Exchange Act as promptly as practicable after the Effective Time.

 

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Section 7.11         Financing.

 

(a)          Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, each of Parent and Merger Sub shall use its reasonable best efforts to take, or cause to be taken, all actions and do, or cause to be done, all things necessary to arrange the Financing, including using reasonable best efforts, consistent with the terms of the Financing Commitments, to (i) obtain the Financing on the terms and conditions described in the Financing Commitments, (ii) maintain in effect the Financing Commitments, (iii) satisfy, or cause to be satisfied, on a timely basis all conditions to the closing of and funding under the Financing Commitments, (iv) consummate the Financing at or prior to the Effective Time and (v) enforce the parties’ funding obligations and the rights of Parent and Merger Sub under the Financing Commitments to the extent necessary to fund the Merger Consideration, the aggregate Option Consideration, the aggregate RSU Award Consideration and any other amounts required to be paid in connection with the consummation of the Transactions (including the Merger) upon the terms and conditions contemplated hereby; provided, Parent and/or Merger Sub may amend or modify the Financing Commitments so long as (A) the aggregate proceeds of the Financing (as amended or modified) will be sufficient for Parent and the Surviving Entity to pay (1) the Merger Consideration, (2) the aggregate Option Consideration and the aggregate RSU Award Consideration, and (3) any other amounts required to be paid in connection with the consummation of the Transactions (including the Merger) upon the terms and conditions contemplated hereby and (B) such amendment or modification would not prevent, delay or impede or impair (1) the ability of Parent and Merger Sub to consummate the Transactions (including the Merger) or (2) the rights and benefits of the Company under the Financing Commitments. Parent shall deliver to the Company true and complete copies of such amendment or modification as promptly as practicable after execution thereof.

 

(b)          In the event any portion of the Financing becomes unavailable on the terms and conditions contemplated in the Financing Commitments, (x) Parent and Merger Sub shall promptly notify the Company and (y) Parent and Merger Sub shall use their reasonable best efforts to arrange and obtain alternative financing from alternative sources in an amount sufficient to consummate the Transactions with terms and conditions that are not less favorable, in the aggregate, from the standpoint of the Company in any material respect than the terms and conditions set forth in the Financing Commitments as promptly as practicable following the occurrence of such event (the “Alternative Financing”). If Parent becomes aware of the existence of any fact or event that would reasonably be expected to cause the Financing to become unavailable on the terms and conditions contemplated by the Financing Commitments, Parent and Merger Sub shall use their reasonable best efforts to either cure or eliminate such fact or event, or to arrange and obtain the Alternative Financing. Parent shall deliver to the Company true and complete copies of all Contracts or other arrangements pursuant to which any alternative sources shall have committed to provide the Alternative Financing (the “Alternative Financing Commitments”) as promptly as practicable after the execution thereof. To the extent the Alternative Financing has been arranged, and subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, each of Parent and Merger Sub shall take, or cause to be taken, all actions and do, or cause to be done, all things reasonably necessary, proper or advisable, consistent with the terms of the Financing Commitments, to: (i) maintain in effect the Alternative Financing Commitments; and (ii) satisfy, or cause to be satisfied, on a timely basis all conditions to the closing of and funding under the Alternative Financing Commitments, (iii) consummate the Alternative Financing at or prior to the Effective Time and (iv) enforce the parties’ funding obligations and the rights of Parent and Merger Sub under the Alternative Financing Commitments to the extent necessary to fund the Merger Consideration, the aggregate Option Consideration, the aggregate RSU Award Consideration, and any other amounts required to be paid in connection with the consummation of the Transactions (including the Merger) upon the terms and conditions contemplated hereby.

 

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Section 7.12         Management. In no event shall Parent or Merger Sub or any of their respective Affiliates, enter into any Contracts that are effective prior to the Closing with any member of the Company’s or its Subsidiaries’ management or any other employees of the Company or its Subsidiaries that contain any terms that prohibit or restrict such member of management or such employee from exercising such person’s duties in such capacity in connection with any action taken by the Company with respect to a Competing Proposal in accordance with this Agreement.

 

Section 7.13         Parent/Merger Sub/Rollover Shareholder Actions. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement to the contrary, the Company shall not be deemed to be in breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement hereunder, including Article IV, Article VI and Article VII hereof, if the alleged breach is the proximate result of action or inaction by the Company or its Subsidiaries at the direction of Parent, Merger Sub, any Rollover Shareholder or any directors of the Company appointed by such Rollover Shareholder without any approval by or direction from the Company Board (acting with the concurrence of the Special Committee) or the Special Committee. Neither Parent nor Merger Sub shall be entitled to any award of damages or other remedy, in each case for any breach or inaccuracy in the representations and warranties made by the Company in Article IV to the extent Parent, Merger Sub, a Rollover Shareholder or any Representative thereof that is an executive officer or director of the Company or a director of the Company designated by a Rollover Shareholder has actual knowledge of such breach or inaccuracy as of the date hereof.

 

ARTICLE VIII

 

CONDITIONS TO CONSUMMATION OF THE MERGER

 

Section 8.1           Conditions to Each Party’s Obligations to Effect the Merger. The respective obligations of each Party to effect the Merger shall be subject to the satisfaction on or prior to the Closing Date of each of the following conditions, any and all of which may be waived in whole or in part by Parent, Merger Sub and the Company, as the case may be, to the extent permitted by applicable Law:

 

(a)          Shareholder Approval. The Shareholder Approval shall have been obtained.

 

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(b)          Statutes; Court Orders. No Law, statute, rule or regulation shall have been enacted or promulgated by any Governmental Entity of competent jurisdiction (in a jurisdiction material to the business of the Company or Parent) which prohibits or makes illegal the consummation of the Transactions, and there shall be no Order or injunction of a court or Governmental Entity of competent jurisdiction (in a jurisdiction material to the business of the Company or Parent) in effect preventing the consummation of the Transactions in any material respect or imposing a Non-Required Remedy.

 

Section 8.2           Conditions to Obligations of Parent and Merger Sub. The obligations of Parent and Merger Sub to effect the Merger are also subject to the satisfaction or waiver (in writing) by Parent on or prior to the Closing Date of each of the following additional conditions:

 

(a)          Representations and Warranties. (i) The representations and warranties of the Company set forth in the first two sentences of Section 4.2(a) of this Agreement shall be true and correct in all respects (except for de minimis inaccuracies), (ii) the representations and warranties of the Company set forth in Section 4.1, Section 4.2 (other than the first two sentences of Section 4.2(a)), Section 4.3, Section 4.4, Section 4.23 and Section 4.24 shall be true and correct in all material respects at and as of the Closing Date, as though made at and as of the Closing Date, (iii) the representations and warranties of the Company set forth in Section 4.8(b)(i) shall be true and correct in all respects, and (iv) each of the other representations and warranties of the Company set forth in this Agreement shall be true and correct at and as of the Closing Date as though made as of the Closing Date, except (x) in the case of each of clauses (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv), representations and warranties that by their terms speak as of a specific date shall be true and correct only as of such date, and (y) in the case of sub-clause (iv), where any failures of any such representations and warranties to be true and correct (without giving effect to any “materiality” or “Material Adverse Effect” qualifier set forth therein), individually or in the aggregate, have not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect; and Parent shall have received a certificate signed on behalf of the Company by a duly authorized executive officer of the Company to the foregoing effect.

 

(b)          Performance of Obligations of the Company. The Company shall have performed or complied in all material respects with all agreements or obligations required to be performed or complied with by it under this Agreement at or prior to the Effective Time, and Parent shall have received a certificate signed on behalf of the Company by a duly authorized executive officer of the Company to such effect.

 

(c)          No Material Adverse Effect. Since the date of this Agreement, no Material Adverse Effect shall have occurred and be continuing.

 

(d)          Dissenting Shareholders. The holders (excluding any Rollover Shareholder) of no more than 10% of the Shares shall have validly served a notice of objection under Section 238(2) of the CICL.

 

Section 8.3           Conditions to Obligations of the Company. The obligations of the Company to effect the Merger are also subject to the satisfaction or waiver (in writing) by the Company on or prior to the Closing Date of each of the following additional conditions:

 

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(a)          Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of Parent and Merger Sub set forth in this Agreement shall be true and correct at and as of the Closing Date as though made as of the Closing Date, except (i) representations and warranties that by their terms speak as of a specific date shall be true and correct only as of such date, and (ii) where any failures of any such representations and warranties to be true and correct (without giving effect to any “materiality” qualifier set forth therein) would not reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate, prevent, materially delay or materially impede or impair the ability of Parent and Merger Sub to consummate the Transactions; and the Company shall have received a certificate signed on behalf of Parent and Merger Sub by a duly authorized executive officer of Parent and Merger Sub to the foregoing effect.

 

(b)          Performance of Obligations of Parent and Merger Sub. Parent and Merger Sub shall have performed or complied in all material respects with all agreements and obligations required to be performed or complied with by them under this Agreement at or prior to the Effective Time, and the Company shall have received a certificate signed on behalf of Parent and Merger Sub by a duly authorized executive officer of Parent and Merger Sub to such effect.

 

Section 8.4           Frustration of Closing Conditions. None of the Company, Parent or Merger Sub may rely on the failure of any condition set forth in this Article VIII to be satisfied if such failure were caused by such party’s failure to comply with this Agreement and consummate the Transactions as contemplated by this Agreement.

 

ARTICLE IX

 

TERMINATION

 

Section 9.1           Termination. This Agreement may be terminated and the Merger and the other Transactions may be abandoned (except as otherwise provided below, whether before or after receipt of the Shareholder Approval) only as follows:

 

(a)          at any time prior to the Effective Time (notwithstanding the prior receipt of the Shareholder Approval) by mutual written consent of Parent and the Company (acting upon the recommendation of the Special Committee);

 

(b)          by either Parent or the Company (acting upon the recommendation of the Special Committee), prior to the Effective Time, if there has been a breach by the other Party or Parties of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement set forth in this Agreement, which breach (i) in the case of a breach by the Company, would result in the conditions in Section 8.2(a) or Section 8.2(b) not being satisfied, and (ii) in the case of a breach by Parent or Merger Sub, would result in the conditions in Section 8.3(a) or Section 8.3(b) not being satisfied (and in each case such breach is not curable prior to the Outside Date, or if curable prior to the Outside Date, has not been cured within the earlier of (x) thirty (30) calendar days after the receipt of notice thereof by the defaulting Party from the non-defaulting Party, or (y) three (3) business days before the Outside Date); provided, however, this Agreement may not be terminated pursuant to this Section 9.1(b) by any Party if such Party is then in material breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement set forth in this Agreement;

 

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(c)          by either Parent or the Company, if the Effective Time shall not have occurred by 11:59 pm, New York time on the Outside Date; provided, however, that the right to terminate this Agreement pursuant to this Section 9.1(c) shall not be available to any Party whose breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement set forth in this Agreement has been the cause of, or resulted in, the Effective Time not occurring on or prior to the Outside Date;

 

(d)          by Parent at any time prior to the receipt of the Shareholder Approval, if (i) the Company Board shall have effected an Adverse Recommendation Change, or (ii) upon any material breach by the Company of its obligations pursuant to Section 6.2, Section 6.3 or Section 6.4; provided that, (A) in the case of subclause (i) Parent’s right to terminate this Agreement shall expire ten (10) business days after the first date upon which the Company makes a public announcement of an Adverse Recommendation Change, and (B) in the case of subclause (ii), such material breach is not curable prior to the Outside Date, or if curable prior to the Outside Date, has not been cured within the earlier of (x) ten (10) calendar days after the receipt of notice thereof by the Company from Parent, or (y) three (3) business days before the Outside Date (provided that any such material breach of Section 6.2 that results in a Competing Proposal that is publicly disclosed shall not be curable);

 

(e)          by either the Company or Parent if a Governmental Entity of competent jurisdiction, shall have issued a final, non-appealable Order, decree or ruling in each case permanently restraining, enjoining or otherwise prohibiting the consummation of the Merger or other Transactions; provided, however, that the right to terminate this Agreement pursuant to this Section 9.1(e) shall not be available to any Party whose failure to comply with any provision of this Agreement has been the cause of, or resulted in, such Order, decree or ruling;

 

(f)          by either the Company or Parent, if the Shareholder Approval shall not have been obtained after the final adjournment of the Shareholder Meeting at which a vote on such approval was taken; provided that, Parent may not terminate this Agreement pursuant to this Section 9.1(f) if such failure to obtain the Shareholder Approval is a result of (i) a breach of Section 6.3(c) by Parent or (ii) a breach of the Support Agreement by any Rollover Shareholder;

 

(g)          by the Company if (i) all of the conditions in Section 8.1 and Section 8.2 have been satisfied (other than those conditions that by their nature are to be satisfied by actions taken at the Closing that at such time could be taken), (ii) the Company has irrevocably confirmed by written notice to Parent that all conditions set forth in Section 8.3 have been satisfied, or that it is willing to waive any unsatisfied condition in Section 8.3, and that the Company is ready, willing and able to complete the Merger, and (iii) Parent shall have failed to effect the Closing within ten (10) business days following its receipt of the written notice from the Company; or

 

(h)          by the Company if prior to the receipt of the Shareholder Approval, in each case in compliance with Section 6.2 in all material respects, (i) the Company Board (acting upon the recommendation of the Special Committee) or the Special Committee has authorized the Company to enter into an Alternative Acquisition Agreement with respect to a Superior Proposal, and (ii) the Company concurrently with, or immediately after, the termination of this Agreement enters into the Alternative Acquisition Agreement with respect to the Superior Proposal referred to in the foregoing subclause (i); provided that the Company shall pay the Company Termination Fee concurrently with the termination of this Agreement pursuant to this Section 9.1(h).

 

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Section 9.2           Effect of Termination.

 

(a)          In the event of the termination of this Agreement as provided in Section 9.1, written notice thereof shall forthwith be given to the other Party or Parties specifying the provision hereof pursuant to which such termination is made, and this Agreement shall forthwith become null and void and there shall be no liability on the part of Parent, Merger Sub or the Company, except that the Confidentiality Agreements, this Section 9.1(h) and Section 10.3 through Section 10.11 shall survive such termination; provided, however, that subject to Section 9.2(b), nothing herein shall relieve any Party from liability for fraud or a Willful Breach of its covenants or agreements set forth in this Agreement prior to such termination (which the Parties acknowledge and agree shall not be limited to reimbursement of expenses or out-of-pocket costs).

 

(b)          In the event that:

 

(i)          (A) a Competing Proposal with respect to the Company shall have been publicly made, proposed or disclosed and not withdrawn, after the date of this Agreement and prior to the Shareholder Meeting, (B) at a time when the condition in the preceding subclause (A) is satisfied, this Agreement is terminated by (x) the Company or Parent pursuant to Section 9.1(f) or (y) the Company pursuant to Section 9.1(c), and (C) within twelve (12) months of the date of such termination, the Company enters into a definitive agreement with respect to, or consummates, a Competing Proposal (provided, that for purposes of this clause (C), the references to “20%” in the definition of Competing Proposal shall be deemed to be references to 50%), then the Company shall pay the Company Termination Fee as directed by Parent by wire transfer of same day funds substantially concurrent with the earlier of the entry into such definitive agreement or consummation of the Competing Proposal;

 

(ii)         this Agreement is terminated (A) by Parent pursuant to Section 9.1(b) or Section 9.1(d) or (B) by the Company pursuant to Section 9.1(h), then the Company shall pay the Company Termination Fee as directed by Parent by wire transfer of same day funds, (x) within two (2) business days following the termination by Parent pursuant to Section 9.1(b) or Section 9.1(d), or (y) concurrently with the termination by the Company pursuant to Section 9.1(h); or

 

(iii)        this Agreement is terminated by the Company pursuant to Section 9.1(b) or Section 9.1(g), then Parent shall pay the Parent Termination Fee, as directed by the Company by wire transfer of same day funds, within two (2) business days following such termination.

 

(c)          In no event shall this Section 9.2 require (i) the Company to pay an aggregate amount in excess of the Company Termination Fee, or (ii) Parent to pay an aggregate amount in excess of the Parent Termination Fee, in each case except as set forth in Section 9.2(d). In no event shall the Company be required to pay the Company Termination Fee more than once. In no event shall Parent be required to pay the Parent Termination Fee more than once.

 

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(d)          If either the Company or Parent fails to pay any amounts due to the other party under this Section 9.2 on the dates specified, then the defaulting party, shall pay all costs and expenses (including legal fees and expenses) incurred by such other party in connection with any action or proceeding (including the filing of any lawsuit) taken by it to collect such unpaid amounts, together with interest thereon on such unpaid amounts at the prime lending rate prevailing at such time, as published in the Wall Street Journal, from the date such amounts were required to be paid until the date actually received by such other party.

 

(e)          The “Company Termination Fee” shall be an amount equal to $10,700,000.

 

(f)          The “Parent Termination Fee” shall be an amount equal to $21,400,000.

 

(g)          Each Party acknowledges that the agreements contained in this Section 9.2 are an integral part of the Transactions and that the Company Termination Fee and Parent Termination Fee are not a penalty, but rather are liquidated damages in a reasonable amount that will compensate Parent and Merger Sub in the circumstances in which the Company Termination Fee is payable by the Company or the Company in circumstances in which the Parent Termination Fee is payable by Parent, in each case, for the efforts and resources expended and opportunities foregone while negotiating this Agreement and in reliance on this Agreement and on the expectation of the consummation of the Transactions, which amount would otherwise be impossible to calculate with precision.

 

(h)          Subject to Section 10.11, the Equity Commitment Letters or the Limited Guarantees, in the event that Parent or Merger Sub fails to effect the Closing for any reason or no reason or they otherwise breach this Agreement (whether willfully, intentionally, unintentionally or otherwise) or otherwise fail to perform hereunder (whether willfully, intentionally, unintentionally or otherwise), the Company’s right to terminate this Agreement and receive the Parent Termination Fee pursuant to Section 9.2(b) and the guarantee of such obligations pursuant to the Limited Guarantees (subject to their terms, conditions and limitations) shall be the sole and exclusive remedy (whether at law, in equity, in contract, in tort or otherwise) of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries and all members of the Company Group against (A) Parent, Merger Sub, the Guarantors, and the Sponsors, (B) the former, current and future holders of any equity, partnership or limited liability company interest, controlling persons, directors, officers, employees, agents, attorneys, Affiliates, members, managers, general or limited partners, shareholders, or assignees of Parent, Merger Sub or any Guarantor or Sponsor, (C) any lender or prospective lender, lead arranger, arranger, agent or representative of or to Parent, Merger Sub or any Guarantor or Sponsor, or (D) any holders or future holders of any equity, stock, partnership or limited liability company interest, controlling persons, directors, officers, employees, agents, attorneys, Affiliates, members, managers, general or limited partners, shareholders, assignees of any of the foregoing (clauses (A)−(D), collectively, the “Parent Group”), for any loss or damage suffered as a result of any breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement (whether willfully, intentionally, unintentionally or otherwise) or failure to perform hereunder (whether willfully, intentionally, unintentionally or otherwise) or other failure of the Merger or the other Transactions to be consummated (whether willfully, intentionally, unintentionally or otherwise). For the avoidance of doubt, neither Parent nor any other member of the Parent Group shall have any liability for monetary damages of any kind or nature or arising in any circumstance in connection with this Agreement or any of the Transactions (including the Equity Commitment Letters and the Limited Guarantees) other than the payment of the Parent Termination Fee pursuant to Section 9.2(b) and in no event shall the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, the direct or indirect shareholders of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or any of their respective Affiliates, directors, officers, employees, members, managers, partners, representatives, advisors or agents of the foregoing (collectively, the “Company Group”) seek, or permit to be sought, on behalf of any member of the Company Group, any monetary damages from any member of the Parent Group in connection with this Agreement or any of the Transactions (including the Equity Commitment Letters and the Limited Guarantees), other than (without duplication) from Parent or Merger Sub to the extent provided in Section 9.2(b) or the Guarantors to the extent provided in the relevant Limited Guarantee, it being acknowledged, for the avoidance of doubt, that the foregoing is not intended to limit the Company’s right to equitable relief pursuant to Section 10.11.

 

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(i)          Subject to Section 10.11, Parent’s right to terminate this Agreement and receive the Company Termination Fee pursuant to Section 9.2(b) shall be the sole and exclusive remedy (whether at law, in equity, in contract, in tort or otherwise) of any member of the Parent Group against any member of the Company Group for any loss or damage suffered as a result of any breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement (whether willfully, intentionally, unintentionally or otherwise) or failure to perform hereunder (whether willfully, intentionally, unintentionally or otherwise) or other failure of the Merger to be consummated (whether willfully, intentionally, unintentionally or otherwise). Neither the Company nor any other member of the Company Group shall have any liability for monetary damages of any kind or nature or arising in any circumstance in connection with this Agreement or any of the Transactions other than the payment by the Company of the Company Termination Fee pursuant to Section 9.2(b) and in no event shall any of Parent, Merger Sub or any other member of the Parent Group seek, or permit to be sought, on behalf of any member of the Parent Group, any monetary damages from any member of the Company Group in connection with this Agreement or any of the Transactions, other than (without duplication) from the Company to the extent provided in Section 9.2(b).

 

ARTICLE X

 

MISCELLANEOUS

 

Section 10.1         Amendment and Modification; Waiver.

 

(a)          Subject to applicable Law and except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, this Agreement may be amended, modified and supplemented, whether before or after receipt of the Shareholder Approval, as applicable, by written agreement of the Parties by action taken (i) with respect to Parent and Merger Sub, by or on behalf of their respective board of directors, and (ii) with respect to the Company, by the Company Board (acting upon recommendation of the Special Committee); provided, however, that after the approval of the Merger by the shareholders of the Company, no amendment shall be made which by Law requires further approval by such shareholders without obtaining such further approval. This Agreement may not be amended except by an instrument in writing signed on behalf of each of the Parties.

 

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(b)          At any time and from time to time prior to the Effective Time, any Party or Parties may, to the extent legally allowed and except as otherwise set forth herein, (i) extend the time for the performance of any of the obligations or other acts of the other Party or Parties, as applicable, (ii) waive any inaccuracies in the representations and warranties made to such Party or Parties contained herein or in any document delivered pursuant hereto, and (iii) waive compliance with any of the agreements or conditions for the benefit of such Party or Parties contained herein. Any agreement on the part of a Party or Parties to any such extension or waiver shall be valid only if set forth in an instrument in writing signed on behalf of such Party or Parties, as applicable. Any delay in exercising any right under this Agreement shall not constitute a waiver of such right.

 

Section 10.2         Non-Survival of Representations and Warranties. None of the representations and warranties in this Agreement or in any schedule, instrument or other document delivered pursuant to this Agreement shall survive the Effective Time. This Section 10.2 shall not limit any covenant or agreement of the Parties which by its terms contemplates performance after the Effective Time.

 

Section 10.3         Expenses. All Expenses incurred in connection with this Agreement and the Transactions shall be paid by the Party incurring such Expenses.

 

Section 10.4         Notices. All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given when delivered in person or upon confirmation of receipt when transmitted by facsimile transmission or by electronic mail or on receipt after dispatch by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, addressed, or on the next business day if transmitted by international overnight courier, in each case to the Parties at the following addresses (or at such other address for a Party as shall be specified by like notice):

 

if to the Company, to:

 

eLong, Inc.

 

Xingke Plaza, Tower B, Third Floor

10 Middle Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District

Beijing 100015, PRC

Attention: May Wu

Facsimile: +8610 6436-6019

Email: may_wu@homeinns.com

 

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with a copy to:

 

Kirkland & Ellis

 

26/F Gloucester Tower, the Landmark

15 Queen’s Road Central

Central, Hong Kong

Attention:  David Zhang/Jesse Sheley

Facsimile:  +852 3761-3301

Email: david.zhang@kirkland.com/jesse.sheley@kirkland.com

 

and

 

Goulston & Storrs PC

400 Atlantic Avenue

Boston, MA 02110

Attention: Tim Bancroft

Facsimile: +1 (617) 574-7568

Email: tbancroft@goulstonstorrs.com

 

if to Parent or Merger Sub, to:

 

c/o Tencent Holdings Limited

Level 29, Three Pacific Place,

No. 1 Queen’s Road East,

Wanchai, Hong Kong

Attention:  Compliance and Transactions Department

Email: legalnotice@tencent.com

 

with a copy to:

 

Tencent Holdings Limited

Tencent Building, Keji Zhongyi Avenue

Hi-tech Park, Nanshan District,

Shenzhen 518507, PRC

Attention:  Mergers and Acquisitions Department

Email: PD_Support@tencent.com

 

and

 

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

1285 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10019-6064

Attention:  Steven J. Williams

Facsimile:  +1 (212) 757-3990

Email: swilliams@paulweiss.com

 

Section 10.5         Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed manually, electronically by email or by facsimile by the Parties, in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when a counterpart hereof shall have been signed by each of the Parties and delivered to the other Parties.

 

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Section 10.6         Entire Agreement; Third-Party Beneficiaries.

 

(a)          This Agreement (including the Disclosure Letter), the Confidentiality Agreements, the Support Agreement, the Equity Commitment Letters and the Limited Guarantees constitute the entire agreement among the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof and supersede all other prior agreements (except that the Confidentiality Agreements shall be amended so that until the termination of this Agreement in accordance with Section 9.1 hereof, the Parties shall be permitted to take the actions contemplated by this Agreement) and understandings, both written and oral, among the Parties or any of them with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof.

 

(b)          Except as provided in Section 7.4 (which is intended to be for the benefit of the Persons covered thereby and may be enforced by such Persons), this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure solely to the benefit of each Party and neither this Agreement (including the Disclosure Letter) nor the Confidentiality Agreements are intended to confer upon any Person other than the Parties any rights or remedies hereunder.

 

Section 10.7         Severability. If any term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by rule of Law or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect so long as the economic or legal substance of the Merger is not affected in any manner adverse to any Party. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the Parties shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the Parties as closely as possible in an acceptable manner to the end that the Merger are fulfilled to the extent possible.

 

Section 10.8         Governing Law; Jurisdiction.

 

(a)          This Agreement shall be interpreted, construed and governed by and in accordance with the Laws of the State of New York without regard to the conflicts of Law principles thereof that would subject such matter to the Laws of another jurisdiction, except that the following matters arising out of or relating to this Agreement shall be interpreted, construed and governed by and in accordance with the Laws of the Cayman Islands in respect of which the parties hereto hereby irrevocably submit to the nonexclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Cayman Islands: the Merger, the vesting of the undertaking, property and liabilities of Merger Sub in the Surviving Entity, the cancellation of the Shares (including Shares represented by ADSs), the rights provided for in Section 238 of the CICL with respect to any Dissenting Shares, the fiduciary or other duties of the Company Board and the directors of Merger Sub and the internal corporate affairs of the Company and Merger Sub.

 

70

 

 

(b)          Subject to the exception for jurisdiction of the courts of the Cayman Islands in Section 10.8(a), any Legal Proceedings arising out of or in any way relating to this Agreement shall be submitted to the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (“HKIAC”) and resolved in accordance with the Arbitration Rules of HKIAC in force at the relevant time and as may be amended by this Section 10.8 (the “Rules”). The place of arbitration shall be Hong Kong. The official language of the arbitration shall be English and the tribunal shall consist of three arbitrators (each, an “Arbitrator”). The claimant(s), irrespective of number, shall nominate jointly one Arbitrator; the respondent(s), irrespective of number, shall nominate jointly one Arbitrator; and a third Arbitrator will be nominated jointly by the first two Arbitrators and shall serve as chairman of the arbitration tribunal. In the event the claimant(s) or respondent(s) or the first two Arbitrators shall fail to nominate or agree the joint nomination of an Arbitrator or the third Arbitrator within the time limits specified by the Rules, such Arbitrator shall be appointed promptly by the HKIAC. The arbitration tribunal shall have no authority to award punitive or other punitive−type damages. The award of the arbitration tribunal shall be final and binding upon the disputing parties. Any party to an award may apply to any court of competent jurisdiction for enforcement of such award and, for purposes of the enforcement of such award, the Parties irrevocably and unconditionally submit to the jurisdiction of any court of competent jurisdiction and waive any defenses to such enforcement based on lack of personal jurisdiction or inconvenient forum.

 

(c)          Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Parties hereby consent to and agree that in addition to any recourse to arbitration as set out in this Section 10.8, any Party may, to the extent permitted under the rules and procedures of the HKIAC, seek an interim injunction or other form of relief from the HKIAC as provided for in its Rules. Such application shall also be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.

 

Section 10.9         Waiver of Jury Trial. EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY LITIGATION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT AND ANY OF THE AGREEMENTS DELIVERED IN CONNECTION HEREWITH OR THE MERGER AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY. EACH PARTY CERTIFIES AND ACKNOWLEDGES THAT (A) NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE EITHER OF SUCH WAIVERS, (B) IT UNDERSTANDS AND HAS CONSIDERED THE IMPLICATIONS OF SUCH WAIVERS, (C) IT MAKES SUCH WAIVERS VOLUNTARILY, AND (D) IT HAS BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS Section 10.9.

 

Section 10.10         Assignment. This Agreement shall not be assigned by any of the Parties (whether by operation of Law or otherwise) without the prior written consent of the other Parties, except that Merger Sub may assign, in its sole discretion and without the consent of any other Party, any or all of its rights, interests and obligations hereunder to one or more direct or indirect wholly owned Subsidiaries of Parent. Subject to the preceding sentence, but without relieving any Party of any obligation hereunder, this Agreement will be binding upon, inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by the Parties and their respective successors and assigns.

 

Section 10.11         Enforcement; Remedies.

 

(a)          Except as otherwise provided in this Section 10.11, any and all remedies herein expressly conferred upon a Party will be deemed cumulative with and not exclusive of any other remedy conferred hereby, or by Law or equity upon such Party, and the exercise by a Party of any one remedy will not preclude the exercise of any other remedy.

 

71

 

 

(b)          The Parties agree that irreparable damage would occur in the event that any of the provisions of this Agreement were not performed in accordance with their specific terms or were otherwise breached. Except as set forth in this Section 10.11, including the limitations set forth in Section 10.11(c) and Section 10.11(d), it is agreed that any Party shall be entitled to specific performance of the terms and provisions of this Agreement (including the Parties’ obligation to consummate the Merger, subject in each case to the terms and conditions of this Agreement), including to seek an injunction or injunctions to prevent breaches of this Agreement by the other Parties and, in the case of the Company, to seek an injunction or injunctions, specific performance or other equitable relief to enforce Parent’s and/or Merger Sub’s obligations to consummate the Closing or to cause the consummation of the Financing, in addition to any other remedy by law or equity.

 

(c)          The Parties’ right of specific performance is an integral part of the Transactions and each Party hereby waives any objections to the grant of the equitable remedy of specific performance to prevent or restrain breaches of this Agreement by any other Party (including any objection on the basis that there is an adequate remedy at Law or that an award of specific performance is not an appropriate remedy for any reason at Law or equity), and, subject to Section 7.13, each Party shall be entitled to an injunction or injunctions and to specifically enforce the terms and provisions of this Agreement to prevent or restrain breaches or threatened breaches of, or to enforce compliance with, the covenants and obligations of such Party under this Agreement all in accordance with the terms of this Section 10.11. In the event any Party seeks an injunction or injunctions to prevent breaches of this Agreement and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions of this Agreement, such Party shall not be required to provide any bond or other security in connection with such order or injunction all in accordance with the terms of this Section 10.11.

 

(d)          Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Parties further acknowledge and agree that the right of the Company, or any member of the Company Group, to obtain an injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief to enforce Parent’s or Merger Sub’s obligations to consummate the Closing or cause the Financing to be funded at the Effective Time, shall be subject to the requirements that (i) Parent and Merger Sub are required to consummate the Closing pursuant to Section 2.2, (ii) the Company has irrevocably confirmed in writing that if the Financing (or any Alternative Financing, if applicable) is funded, then it would take such actions that are within its control to cause the consummation of the Transactions to occur, and (iii) the Financing has not been funded and Parent and Merger Sub have not consummated the Merger.

 

(e)          If, prior to the Outside Date, any Party brings any Legal Proceeding to enforce specifically the performance of the terms and provisions hereof by any other Party, the Outside Date shall automatically be extended by (x) the amount of time during which such Legal Proceeding is pending, plus twenty (20) business days or (y) such other time period established by the court of competent jurisdiction presiding over such Legal Proceeding.

 

72

 

 

[Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank]

 

73

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Parent, Merger Sub and the Company have caused this Agreement to be signed by their respective officers thereunto duly authorized as of the date first written above.

 

  CHINA E-DRAGON HOLDINGS LIMITED
     
  By /s/ Lin Haifeng
    Name:  Lin Haifeng
    Title:   Director
     
     
  CHINA E-DRAGON MERGERSUB LIMITED
     
  By /s/ Lin Haifeng
    Name:  Lin Haifeng
    Title:   Director

 

[Signature Page to Agreement and Plan of Merger]

 

 

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Parent, Merger Sub and the Company have caused this Agreement to be signed by their respective officers thereunto duly authorized as of the date first written above.

 

  ELONG, INC.
     
  By /s/ May Wu
    Name:  May Wu
    Title:    Chairman of the Special Committee

 

[Signature Page to Agreement and Plan of Merger]

 

 

 

 

  

Exhibit A

 

PLAN OF MERGER

 

THIS PLAN OF MERGER is made on _____________________ 2016

 

BETWEEN

 

(1)eLong, Inc., an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands having its registered office at the offices of Codan Trust Company (Cayman) Limited, Cricket Square, Hutchins Drive, PO Box 2681, Grand Cayman, KY1-1111, Cayman Islands (the “Company” or the "Surviving Company" and together with the Merging Company, the “Constituent Companies”); and

 

(2)China E-dragon Mergersub Limited, an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands having its registered office at the offices of Walkers Corporate Limited, Cayman Corporate Centre, 27 Hospital Road, George Town, Grand Cayman KY1-9008, Cayman Islands (the "Merging Company").

 

WHEREAS

 

(A)The Company and the Merging Company have agreed to merge (the "Merger") upon the terms and subject to the conditions as set out in the Agreement and Plan of Merger dated February 4, 2016 by and among China E-dragon Holdings Limited, an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, the Company and the Merging Company (the "Merger Agreement"), a copy of which is annexed at Annexure 1 hereto, and under the provisions of Part XVI of the Companies Law, Cap.22 (Law 3 of 1961, as consolidated and revised) (the "Companies Law"), pursuant to which the Merging Company will merge with and into the Company with the Surviving Company continuing as the surviving company resulting from the Merger.

 

(B)This Plan of Merger has been approved by the board of directors of each of the Merging Company and the Company pursuant to section 233(3) of the Companies Law.

 

(C)This Plan of Merger has been authorised by the shareholders of each of the Merging Company and the Company pursuant to section 233(6) of the Companies Law.

 

(D)Each of the Company and the Merging Company wishes to enter into this Plan of Merger pursuant to the provisions of Part XVI of the Companies Law.

 

IT IS AGREED

 

1.Definitions and Interpretation

 

1.1Terms not otherwise defined in this Plan of Merger shall have the meanings given to them in the Merger Agreement.

 

  

 

 

2.PLAN OF MERGER

 

2.1Company Details:

 

(a)The constituent companies (as defined in the Companies Law) to the Merger are the Company and the Merging Company.

 

(b)The surviving company (as defined in the Companies Law) is the Surviving Company, which shall continue to be named eLong, Inc.

 

(c)The registered office of the Company is the offices of Codan Trust Company (Cayman) Limited, Cricket Square, Hutchins Drive, PO Box 2681, Grand Cayman, KY1-1111, Cayman Islands. The registered office of the Merging Company is Walkers Corporate Limited, Cayman Corporate Centre, 27 Hospital Road, George Town, Grand Cayman KY1-9008, Cayman Islands. Following the effectiveness of the Merger, the registered office of the Surviving Company will continue to be at the offices of [Codan Trust Company (Cayman) Limited, Cricket Square, Hutchins Drive, PO Box 2681, Grand Cayman, KY1-1111, Cayman Islands].

 

(d)Immediately prior to the Effective Time, the authorised share capital of the Company is $2,582,056.20 divided into 258,205,620 Shares comprising of (i) 150,000,000 Ordinary Shares of a par value of $0.01 each, (ii) 50,000,000 High-Vote Ordinary Shares of a par value of $0.01 each, and (iii) 58,205,620 Preferred Shares of a par value of $0.01 each, of which, (A) [●] Ordinary Shares are issued and outstanding, (B) 33,589,204 High-Vote Ordinary Shares are issued and outstanding, and (C) no Preferred Share is issued and outstanding.

 

(e)Immediately prior to the Effective Time, the authorised share capital of the Merging Company is $[●] divided into [●] shares of a par value of $[●] each, of which [●] shares are issued and outstanding.

 

(f)At the Effective Time, the authorised share capital of the Surviving Company shall be $[●] divided into [●] shares of a par value of $[●] each.

 

2.2Effective Time

 

The Merger shall take effect on [insert date] (the "Effective Time").

 

2.3Terms and Conditions; Share Rights

 

(a)At the Effective Time, and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement:

 

(i)Each share of par value $[●] of the Merging Company issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be converted into [one] validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable share of par value $[●] of the Surviving Company.

 

2 

 

 

(ii)Each Share of par value S$0.01 of the Company, including Shares represented by ADSs, issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time other than Excluded Shares and Dissenting Shares shall be cancelled in exchange for the right to receive $9.00 in cash per share without interest (the “Per Share Merger Consideration”);

 

(iii)Excluded Shares other than Dissenting Shares shall be cancelled for no consideration or payment in accordance with the Merger Agreement; and

 

(iv)Dissenting Shares shall be cancelled in exchange for payment of the fair value of such shares resulting from the procedure in section 238 of the Companies Law, unless any holder of Dissenting Shares fails to exercise or withdraws or loses its right to dissent from the Merger in which event such shares shall cease to be Dissenting Shares and shall deemed to have been cancelled as of the Effective Time in exchange for the right to receive the Per Share Merger Consideration without any interest thereon.

 

(b)At the Effective Time, the rights and restrictions attaching to the shares in the Surviving Company shall be as set out in the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Surviving Company in the form annexed at Annexure 2 hereto.

 

(c)At the Effective Time, the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Surviving Company shall be amended and restated by their deletion in their entirety and the substitution in their place of the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Surviving Company in the form annexed at Annexure 2 hereto.

 

(d)At the Effective Time, the rights, property of every description including choses in action, and the business, undertaking, goodwill, benefits, immunities and privileges of each of the Constituent Companies shall immediately vest in the Surviving Company which shall be liable for and subject, in the same manner as the Constituent Companies, to all mortgages, charges, or security interests and all contracts, obligations, claims, debts and liabilities of each of the Constituent Companies.

 

2.4Directors' Interests in the Merger

 

(a)The names and addresses of each director of the surviving company (as defined in the Companies Law) are:

 

(i)[●]

 

(b)No director of either Constituent Company will be paid any amounts or receive any benefits consequent upon the Merger.

 

3 

 

 

2.5Secured Creditors

 

(a)The Company has granted no fixed or floating security interests that are outstanding as at the date of this Plan of Merger.

 

(b)The Merging Company has granted no fixed or floating security interests that are outstanding as at the date of this Plan of Merger.

 

3.Variation

 

3.1At any time prior to the Effective Time, this Plan of Merger may be amended by the Boards of Directors of both the Surviving Company and the Merging Company to:

 

(a)change the Effective Time [provided that such changed date shall not be a date later than the ninetieth day after the date of registration of this Plan of Merger with the Registrar; and]

 

(b)effect any other changes to this Plan of Merger as the Merger Agreement or this Plan of Merger may expressly authorise the Boards of Directors of both the Surviving Company and the Merging Company to effect in their discretion.

 

4.Termination

 

4.1At any time prior to the Effective Time, this Plan of Merger may be terminated by the Boards of Directors of both the Company and the Merging Company in accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement.

 

5.Counterparts

 

5.1This Plan of Merger may be executed in any number of counterparts, all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same instrument.  Any party may enter into this Plan of Merger by executing any such counterpart.

 

6.Governing Law

 

6.1This Plan of Merger and the rights and obligations of the parties shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Cayman Islands.

 

 

4 

 

 

IN WITNESS whereof this Plan of Merger has been entered into by the parties on the day and year first above written.

 

 

SIGNED for and on behalf of China E-dragon Mergersub Limited:

 

)  
)  
) Director
)  
) Name:
)  
)  

 

 

SIGNED for and on behalf of eLong, Inc.:

 

)  
)  
) Director
)  
) Name:
)  
)  

 

 

 

 

 

[Signature Page to Plan of Merger]

 

 

 

Annexure 1

 

Merger Agreement

 

 

 

 

 

Annexure 2

 

Memorandum and Articles of Association of Surviving Company

 

 

 

 

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