Exhibit 10.3
GUARANTEE AND COLLATERAL AGREEMENT
dated as of
July 2, 2025
among
FTC SOLAR, INC., as Borrower,
the Subsidiaries of the Borrower
from time to time party hereto
and
ACQUIOM AGENCY SERVICES, LLC,
as the Administrative Agent
ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS |
1 | |||
SECTION 1.01 Defined Terms in Credit Agreement and UCC; Construction |
1 | |||
SECTION 1.02 Other Defined Terms |
1 | |||
ARTICLE II GUARANTEE |
4 | |||
SECTION 2.01 Guarantee |
4 | |||
SECTION 2.02 Guarantee of Payment |
5 | |||
SECTION 2.03 No Limitations, Etc. |
5 | |||
SECTION 2.04 Reinstatement |
6 | |||
SECTION 2.05 Agreement To Pay; Subrogation |
6 | |||
SECTION 2.06 Information |
6 | |||
SECTION 2.07 Subordination of Other Obligations |
7 | |||
SECTION 2.08 Payment Free and Clear of Taxes |
7 | |||
SECTION 2.09 Maximum Liability |
7 | |||
ARTICLE III PLEDGE OF SECURITIES |
7 | |||
SECTION 3.01 Pledge |
7 | |||
SECTION 3.02 Delivery of the Pledged Collateral |
8 | |||
SECTION 3.03 Representations, Warranties and Covenants |
9 | |||
SECTION 3.04 Certification of Limited Liability Company Interests and Limited Partnership Interests |
10 | |||
SECTION 3.05 Registration in Nominee Name; Denominations |
10 | |||
SECTION 3.06 Voting Rights; Dividends and Interest, Etc. |
10 | |||
SECTION 3.07 Admission of Substitute Partner or Member |
13 | |||
ARTICLE IV SECURITY INTERESTS IN PERSONAL PROPERTY |
13 | |||
SECTION 4.01 Security Interest |
13 | |||
SECTION 4.02 Representations and Warranties |
15 | |||
SECTION 4.03 Covenants |
16 | |||
SECTION 4.04 Other Actions |
19 | |||
SECTION 4.05 Covenants Regarding Patent, Trademark and Copyright Collateral |
22 |
ARTICLE V REMEDIES |
23 | |||
SECTION 5.01 Remedies Upon Default |
23 | |||
SECTION 5.02 Application of Proceeds |
25 | |||
SECTION 5.03 Grant of License to Use Intellectual Property |
26 | |||
SECTION 5.04 Securities Act, Etc. |
26 | |||
ARTICLE VI INDEMNITY, SUBROGATION AND SUBORDINATION |
27 | |||
SECTION 6.01 Indemnity and Subrogation |
27 | |||
SECTION 6.02 Contribution and Subrogation |
27 | |||
SECTION 6.03 Subordination |
27 | |||
ARTICLE VII MISCELLANEOUS |
28 | |||
SECTION 7.01 Notices |
28 | |||
SECTION 7.02 Security Interest Absolute |
28 | |||
SECTION 7.03 Survival of Agreement |
28 | |||
SECTION 7.04 Binding Effect; Several Agreement |
28 | |||
SECTION 7.05 Successors and Assigns |
29 | |||
SECTION 7.06 Administrative Agents Fees and Expenses; Indemnification |
29 | |||
SECTION 7.07 Administrative Agent Appointed Attorney-in-Fact |
30 | |||
SECTION 7.08 Applicable Law |
31 | |||
SECTION 7.09 Waivers; Amendment |
31 | |||
SECTION 7.10 WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL |
32 | |||
SECTION 7.11 Severability |
32 | |||
SECTION 7.12 Counterparts |
33 | |||
SECTION 7.13 Headings |
33 | |||
SECTION 7.14 Jurisdiction; Consent to Service of Process |
33 | |||
SECTION 7.15 Termination or Release |
34 | |||
SECTION 7.16 Additional Subsidiaries |
34 | |||
SECTION 7.17 Right of Setoff |
35 |
Schedules
Schedule I | Guarantors | |||
Schedule II | Equity Interests; Pledged Debt Securities | |||
Schedule III | Intellectual Property | |||
Schedule IV | Commercial Tort Claims |
Exhibits
Exhibit A | Form of Supplement | |||
Exhibit B | Form of Perfection Certificate |
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GUARANTEE AND COLLATERAL AGREEMENT dated as of July 2, 2025 (this Agreement), among FTC Solar, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Borrower), the Subsidiaries of the Borrower from time to time party hereto and Acquiom Agency Services, LLC, as administrative agent for the Lenders (as defined below) (in such capacity, together with its successors and assigns, the Administrative Agent).
PRELIMINARY STATEMENT
Reference is made to the Credit Agreement dated as of the date hereof (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the Credit Agreement), among the Borrower, the lenders from time to time party thereto (the Lenders) and the Administrative Agent.
The Lenders have agreed to extend credit to the Borrower pursuant to, and upon the terms and conditions specified in, the Credit Agreement. The obligations of the Lenders to extend credit to the Borrower are conditioned upon, among other things, the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Borrower and each Guarantor (such term and each other capitalized term used but not defined in this preliminary statement having the meaning given or ascribed to it in Section 1.01). Each Guarantor is an affiliate of the Borrower, will derive substantial benefits from the extension of credit to the Borrower pursuant to the Credit Agreement and is willing to execute and deliver this Agreement in order to induce the Lenders to extend such credit. Accordingly, the parties hereto agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
Definitions
SECTION 1.01 Defined Terms in Credit Agreement and UCC; Construction.
(a) Capitalized terms used in this Agreement and not otherwise defined herein have the meanings set forth in the Credit Agreement. All capitalized terms defined in the New York UCC (as such term is defined herein) and not defined in this Agreement have the meanings specified therein. All references to the Uniform Commercial Code shall mean the New York UCC or, when the context implies or is required, the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect from time to time in any other applicable jurisdiction.
(b) The rules of construction specified in Section 1.02 of the Credit Agreement also apply to this Agreement.
SECTION 1.02 Other Defined Terms. As used in this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings specified below:
Administrative Agent shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the preamble.
Agreement shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the preamble.
Article 9 Collateral shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 4.01.
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Borrower shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the preamble.
Claiming Guarantor shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.02.
Collateral shall mean the Article 9 Collateral and the Pledged Collateral.
Contributing Guarantor shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.02.
Copyright License shall mean any written agreement, now or hereafter in effect, granting any right to any third Person under any Copyright now or hereafter owned by any Grantor or that such Grantor otherwise has the right to license, or granting any right to any Grantor under any Copyright now or hereafter owned by any third Person, and all rights of such Grantor under any such agreement.
Copyrights shall mean all of the following now owned, licensed or hereafter acquired by any Grantor and all of such Grantors rights in: (a) all copyright rights in any work subject to the copyright laws of the United States or any other country, whether as author, assignee, transferee, licensee or otherwise, and (b) all registrations and applications for registration of any such copyright in the United States or any other country, including registrations, recordings, supplemental registrations and pending applications for registration in the United States Copyright Office (or any successor office or any similar office in any other country), including those listed on Schedule III.
Credit Agreement shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the preliminary statement.
Excluded Asset shall mean (a) any Excluded Contract; (b) any United States federal intent to use trademark application to the extent that, and solely during the period that, the grant of a security interest therein would impair the validity or enforceability or render void or result in the cancellation of, any registration issued as a result of such intent to use trademark application under any Requirement of Law; provided that upon the submission to and acceptance by the United States Patent and Trademark Office of an amendment to allege or a verified statement of use pursuant to 15 U.S.C. Section 1060, such intent to use trademark application shall no longer constitute an Excluded Asset; and (c) any property of a Grantor to the extent that the grant of a security interest by such Grantor therein is prohibited by any Requirement of Law or a Governmental Authority or requires a consent not obtained of any Governmental Authority pursuant to such Requirement of Law (but only to the extent that such prohibition would not be rendered ineffective pursuant to Section 9-406, 9-407, 9-408 or 9-409 of the Uniform Commercial Code); provided that Excluded Assets will not include any Proceeds, substitutions or replacements of any Excluded Assets referred to in clauses (a) through (c) (unless such Proceeds, substitutions or replacements would constitute Excluded Assets referred to in clauses (a) through (c)).
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Excluded Contract shall mean, at any date, any rights or interest of any Grantor under any agreement, contract, license, lease, instrument, document or other general intangible (referred to solely for purposes of this definition as a Contract) to the extent that such Contract by the terms of a restriction in favor of a Person who is not a Grantor or a Subsidiary of a Grantor (a) prohibits, requires any consent or establishes any other condition for, (b) could or would be terminated, abandoned, invalidated, or rendered unenforceable by or (c) would be breached or rendered in default as the result of the grant of the Security Interest therein by such Grantor (but only to the extent that any such term would not be rendered ineffective pursuant to Section 9-406, 9-407, 9-408 or 9-409 of the Uniform Commercial Code (or any successor provision or provisions) or any other Requirement of Law or any principles of equity); provided that: (i) rights to payment under any such Contract otherwise constituting an Excluded Contract by virtue of this definition shall be included in the Collateral to the extent permitted thereby by Section 9-406 or Section 9-408 of the Uniform Commercial Code and (ii) all Proceeds paid or payable to any Grantor from any sale, transfer or assignment of such contract and all rights to receive such Proceeds shall be included in the Collateral.
Federal Securities Laws shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.04.
Grantors shall mean the Borrower and the Guarantors.
Guarantors shall mean (a) the Subsidiaries party hereto on the Closing Date (as identified on Schedule I hereto as Guarantors) and (b) each other Subsidiary that becomes a party to this Agreement as a Guarantor after the Closing Date.
Intellectual Property shall mean all intellectual and similar property of any Grantor of every kind and nature now owned or hereafter acquired by any Grantor, including inventions, designs, Patents, Copyrights, Licenses, Trademarks, trade secrets, domain names, confidential or proprietary technical and business information, know-how, show-how or other data or information, software and databases and all embodiments or fixations thereof and related documentation, registrations and franchises, and all additions, improvements and accessions to, and books and records describing or used in connection with, any of the foregoing.
License shall mean any Patent License, Trademark License, Copyright License or other license or sublicense agreement relating to Intellectual Property to which any Grantor is a party, including those listed on Schedule III.
New York UCC shall mean the Uniform Commercial Code as from time to time in effect in the State of New York.
Obligee Guarantor shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.07.
Patent License shall mean any written agreement, now or hereafter in effect, granting to any third Person any right to make, use or sell any invention on which a Patent, now or hereafter owned by any Grantor or that any Grantor otherwise has the right to license, is in existence, or granting to any Grantor any right to make, use or sell any invention on which a Patent, now or hereafter owned by any third Person, is in existence, and all rights of any Grantor under any such agreement.
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Patents shall mean all of the following now owned, licensed or hereafter acquired by any Grantor and all of such Grantors rights in: (a) all letters patent of the United States or the equivalent thereof in any other country, all registrations and recordings thereof, and all applications for letters patent of the United States or the equivalent thereof in any other country, including registrations, recordings and pending applications in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (or any successor or any similar offices in any other country), including those listed on Schedule III, and (b) all reissues, continuations, divisions, continuations-in-part, renewals or extensions thereof, and the inventions disclosed or claimed therein, including the right to make, use and/or sell the inventions disclosed or claimed therein.
Perfection Certificate shall mean a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto, completed and supplemented with the schedules and attachments contemplated thereby, and duly executed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower.
Pledged Collateral shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.01.
Pledged Debt Securities shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.01.
Pledged Equity Interests shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.01.
Security Interest shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 4.01.
Trademark License shall mean any written agreement, now or hereafter in effect, granting to any third Person any right to use any Trademark now or hereafter owned by any Grantor or that any Grantor otherwise has the right to license, or granting to any Grantor any right to use any Trademark now or hereafter owned by any third Person, and all rights of any Grantor under any such agreement.
Trademarks shall mean all of the following now owned, licensed or hereafter acquired by any Grantor and all of such Grantors rights in: (a) all trademarks, service marks, trade names, corporate names, company names, business names, fictitious business names, trade styles, trade dress, logos, other source or business identifiers, designs and general intangibles of like nature, now existing or hereafter adopted or acquired, all registrations and recordings thereof, and all registrations, recordings and pending applications filed in connection therewith, including registrations and registration applications in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (or any successor office) or any similar offices in any State of the United States or any other country or any political subdivision thereof, and all extensions or renewals thereof, including those listed on Schedule III, (b) all goodwill associated therewith or symbolized thereby and (c) all other assets, rights and interests that uniquely reflect or embody such goodwill.
ARTICLE II
Guarantee
SECTION 2.01 Guarantee. Each Guarantor unconditionally guarantees, jointly with the other Guarantors and severally, as a primary obligor and not merely as a surety, the due and punctual payment and performance of the Obligations. Each Guarantor further agrees that the Obligations may be extended or renewed, in whole or in part, without notice to or further assent from it, and that it will remain bound upon its guarantee notwithstanding any extension or renewal of any Obligation. Each Guarantor waives presentment to, demand of payment from and protest to the Borrower or any other Loan Party of any Obligation, and also waives notice of acceptance of its guarantee and notice of protest for nonpayment.
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SECTION 2.02 Guarantee of Payment. Each Guarantor further agrees that its guarantee hereunder constitutes a guarantee of payment when due (whether at maturity, by acceleration upon one or more dates set for prepayment or otherwise) and not of collection, and waives any right to require that any resort be had by the Administrative Agent or any other Secured Party to any security held for the payment of the Obligations or to any balance of any Deposit Account or credit on the books of the Administrative Agent or any other Secured Party in favor of the Borrower or any other Person.
SECTION 2.03 No Limitations, Etc.
(a) Except for termination or release of a Guarantors obligations hereunder as expressly provided in Section 7.15, the obligations of each Guarantor hereunder shall not be subject to any reduction, limitation, impairment or termination for any reason, including any claim of waiver, release, surrender, alteration or compromise, and shall not be subject to any defense or setoff, counterclaim, recoupment or termination whatsoever by reason of the invalidity, illegality or unenforceability of the Obligations or otherwise. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the obligations of each Guarantor hereunder shall not be discharged or impaired or otherwise affected by, and each Guarantor hereby waives any defense to the enforcement hereof by reason of: (i) the failure of the Administrative Agent or any other Secured Party to assert any claim or demand or to exercise or enforce any right, power or remedy under the provisions of any Loan Document or otherwise, (ii) any rescission, waiver, amendment or modification of, increase in the Obligations with respect to, or any release from any of the terms or provisions of, any Loan Document or any other agreement, including with respect to any other Guarantor under this Agreement, (iii) the release of, or any impairment of or failure to perfect any Lien on or security interest in, any security held by the Administrative Agent or any other Secured Party for the Obligations or any of them, (iv) any default, failure or delay, willful or otherwise, in the performance of the Obligations, (v) any other act or omission that may or might in any manner or to any extent vary the risk of any Guarantor or otherwise operate as a discharge of any Guarantor as a matter of law or equity (other than the indefeasible payment in full in cash of all the Obligations), (vi) any illegality, lack of validity or enforceability of any Obligation, (vii) any change in the corporate existence, structure or ownership of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary, or any insolvency, bankruptcy, reorganization or other similar proceeding affecting any Loan Party, any Subsidiary or their respective assets or any resulting release or discharge of any Obligation, (viii) the existence of any claim, set-off or other rights that the Guarantors may have at any time against the Borrower, any other Guarantor, the Administrative Agent, any other Secured Party or any other Person, whether in connection herewith or any unrelated transactions, (ix) any action permitted or authorized hereunder, or (x) any other circumstance (including without limitation, any statute of limitations) or any existence of or reliance on any representation by the Administrative Agent or any other Secured Party that might otherwise constitute a defense to, or a legal or equitable discharge of, the Borrower or any Guarantor or any other guarantor or surety. Each Guarantor expressly authorizes the Administrative Agent to take and hold security for the payment and performance of the Obligations, to exchange, waive or release any or all such security (with or without consideration), to enforce or apply such security and direct the order and manner of any sale thereof in its sole discretion or to release or substitute any one or more other guarantors or obligors upon or in respect of the Obligations, all without affecting the obligations of any Guarantor hereunder.
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(b) To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, each Guarantor waives any defense based on or arising out of any defense of the Borrower or any other Loan Party or the unenforceability of the Obligations or any part thereof from any cause, or the cessation from any cause of the liability of the Borrower or any other Loan Party, other than the indefeasible payment in full in cash of all the Obligations. The Administrative Agent and the other Secured Parties may, at their election, foreclose on any security held by one or more of them by one or more judicial or nonjudicial sales, accept an assignment of any such security in lieu of foreclosure, compromise or adjust any part of the Obligations, make any other accommodation with the Borrower or any other Loan Party or exercise any other right or remedy available to them against the Borrower or any other Loan Party, without affecting or impairing in any way the liability of any Guarantor hereunder except to the extent the Obligations have been fully and indefeasibly paid in full in cash. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, each Guarantor waives any defense arising out of any such election even though such election operates, pursuant to applicable law, to impair or to extinguish any right of reimbursement or subrogation or other right or remedy of such Guarantor against the Borrower or any other Loan Party, as the case may be, or any security.
SECTION 2.04 Reinstatement. Each Guarantor agrees that its guarantee hereunder shall continue to be effective or be reinstated, as the case may be, if at any time payment, or any part thereof, of any Obligation is rescinded or must otherwise be restored by the Administrative Agent or any other Secured Party upon the bankruptcy or reorganization of the Borrower, any other Loan Party, any Subsidiary or otherwise.
SECTION 2.05 Agreement To Pay; Subrogation. In furtherance of the foregoing and not in limitation of any other right that the Administrative Agent or any other Secured Party has at law or in equity against any Guarantor by virtue hereof, upon the failure of the Borrower or any other Loan Party to pay any Obligation when and as the same shall become due, whether at maturity, by acceleration, after notice of prepayment or otherwise, each Guarantor hereby promises to and will forthwith pay, or cause to be paid, to the Administrative Agent for distribution to the applicable Secured Parties in cash the amount of such unpaid Obligation. Upon payment by any Guarantor of any sums to the Administrative Agent as provided above, all rights of such Guarantor against the Borrower or any other Guarantor arising as a result thereof by way of right of subrogation, contribution, reimbursement, indemnity or otherwise shall in all respects be subject to Article VI.
SECTION 2.06 Information. Each Guarantor assumes all responsibility for being and keeping itself informed of the Borrowers and each other Loan Partys financial condition and assets and of all other circumstances bearing upon the risk of nonpayment of the Obligations and the nature, scope and extent of the risks that such Guarantor assumes and incurs hereunder, and agrees that neither the Administrative Agent nor any other Secured Party will have any duty to advise such Guarantor of information known to it or any of them regarding such circumstances or risks.
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SECTION 2.07 Subordination of Other Obligations. Any Indebtedness of the Borrower or any other Guarantor now or hereafter held by any other Guarantor (the Obligee Guarantor) whether as original creditor, assignee, or by way of subrogation, restitution or otherwise, is hereby subordinated in right of payment to the guaranteed Obligations, and if the Administrative Agent (acting at the direction of the Required Lenders) so requests while a Default or an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing (any such request, a Turnover Request) (provided that no request shall be required in the case of any proceeding described in clause (g) or (h) of Section 7.01 of the Credit Agreement commenced by or against any Grantor), any such Indebtedness collected or received by the Obligee Guarantor shall be held in trust for the Administrative Agent on behalf of the Secured Parties and shall forthwith be paid over to the Administrative Agent on behalf of the Secured Parties to be credited and applied against the Obligations but without affecting, impairing or limiting in any manner the liability of the Obligee Guarantor under any other provision hereof.
SECTION 2.08 Payment Free and Clear of Taxes. Any and all payments by or on account of any obligation of any Guarantor hereunder or under any other Loan Document shall be made free and clear of, and without deduction for, any Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes on the same terms and to the same extent that payments by any Loan Party are required to be made pursuant to the terms of Section 2.20 of the Credit Agreement. The provisions of Section 2.20 of the Credit Agreement shall apply to each Guarantor mutatis mutandis.
SECTION 2.09 Maximum Liability. Anything herein or in any other Loan Document to the contrary notwithstanding, the maximum liability of each Guarantor hereunder and under the other Loan Documents shall in no event exceed the maximum amount that can be guaranteed by such Guarantor under (including the maximum amount that can be guaranteed by such Guarantor without rendering such Guarantor insolvent within the meaning of, leaving such Guarantor with unreasonably small capital or assets, within the meaning of, or leaving such Guarantor unable to pay its debts as they become due within the meaning of) applicable federal and state laws relating to the insolvency of debtors (after giving effect to the rights of subrogation and contribution established in Section 6.02 or otherwise available to such Guarantor under applicable law).
ARTICLE III
Pledge of Securities
SECTION 3.01 Pledge. As security for the payment or performance, as the case may be, in full of the Obligations, each Grantor hereby assigns and pledges to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, and hereby grants to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, a security interest in, all of such Grantors right, title and interest in, to and under (a)(i) the Equity Interests owned or held by such Grantor on the date hereof (including all such Equity Interests listed on Schedule II), (ii) any other Equity Interests obtained in the future by such Grantor and (iii) the certificates representing all such Equity Interests (all the foregoing collectively referred to herein as the Pledged Equity Interests), (b)(i) the debt securities owned or held by such Grantor on the date hereof (including all such debt securities listed opposite the name of such Grantor on Schedule II), (ii) any debt securities in the future issued to such Grantor and (iii) the promissory notes and any other instruments evidencing such debt
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securities (all the foregoing collectively referred to herein as the Pledged Debt Securities), (c) all other property that may be delivered to and held by the Administrative Agent pursuant to the terms of this Section 3.01, (d) subject to Section 3.06, all payments of principal or interest, dividends, cash, instruments and other property from time to time received, receivable or otherwise distributed in respect of, in exchange for or upon the conversion of, and all other Proceeds received in respect of, the securities referred to in clauses (a) and (b) above, (e) subject to Section 3.06, all rights and privileges of such Grantor with respect to the securities and other property referred to in clauses (a), (b), (c) and (d) above, including all governance rights, including all rights to vote, consent to action and otherwise participate in the management of the issuer of any Pledged Equity Interests, and (f) all Proceeds of any of the foregoing (the items referred to in clauses (a) through (f) above being collectively referred to as the Pledged Collateral); provided that neither Pledged Collateral nor any defined term used therein shall include any Excluded Asset.
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD the Pledged Collateral, together with all right, title, interest, powers, privileges and preferences pertaining or incidental thereto, unto the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, forever; subject, however, to the terms, covenants and conditions hereinafter set forth.
SECTION 3.02 Delivery of the Pledged Collateral.
(a) Subject to Section 5.17 of the Credit Agreement, each Grantor agrees to promptly deliver or cause to be delivered on the Closing Date (or, in the case of any item acquired or received after the Closing Date, within ten days thereafter) to the Administrative Agent any and all certificates, instruments or other documents representing or evidencing Pledged Collateral.
(b) Each Grantor agrees to promptly deliver or cause to be delivered on the Closing Date (or, in the case of any item acquired or received after the Closing Date, within ten days thereafter) to the Administrative Agent any and all Pledged Debt Securities.
(c) Upon delivery to the Administrative Agent, (i) any certificate, instrument or document representing or evidencing Pledged Collateral shall be accompanied by undated stock powers duly executed in blank or other undated instruments of transfer satisfactory to the Required Lenders and duly executed in blank and by such other instruments and documents as the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders may reasonably request and (ii) all other property comprising part of the Pledged Collateral shall be accompanied by proper instruments of assignment duly executed by the applicable Grantor and such other instruments or documents as the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders may reasonably request. Each delivery of Pledged Collateral shall be accompanied by a schedule describing the applicable securities, which schedule shall be attached hereto as Schedule II and made a part hereof; provided that failure to attach any such schedule hereto shall not affect the validity of the pledge of such Pledged Collateral. Each schedule so delivered shall supplement any prior schedules so delivered.
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SECTION 3.03 Representations, Warranties and Covenants. The Grantors jointly and severally represent, warrant and covenant to and with the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, that:
(a) Schedule II correctly sets forth the percentage of the issued and outstanding shares of each class of the Equity Interests of the issuer thereof represented by such Pledged Equity Interests and includes all Equity Interests, debt securities and promissory notes required to be pledged hereunder;
(b) the Pledged Equity Interests and Pledged Debt Securities have been duly and validly authorized and issued by the issuers thereof and (i) in the case of Pledged Equity Interests, are fully paid and nonassessable and (ii) in the case of Pledged Debt Securities, are legal, valid and binding obligations of the issuers thereof;
(c) except for the security interests granted hereunder (or otherwise expressly permitted under Section 6.02 of the Credit Agreement), each Grantor (i) is and, subject to any transfers made in compliance with the Credit Agreement, will continue to be the direct owner, beneficially and of record, of the Pledged Debt Securities indicated on Schedule II as owned by such Grantor, (ii) holds the same free and clear of all Liens, (iii) will make no assignment, pledge, hypothecation or transfer of, or create or permit to exist any security interest in or other Lien on, the Pledged Collateral, other than transfers expressly permitted under the Credit Agreement, and (iv) subject to Section 3.06, will cause any and all Pledged Collateral, whether for value paid by such Grantor or otherwise, to be forthwith deposited with the Administrative Agent and pledged or assigned hereunder;
(d) except for restrictions and limitations imposed by the Loan Documents or securities laws generally, the Pledged Collateral is and will continue to be freely transferable and assignable, and none of the Pledged Collateral is or will be subject to any option, right of first refusal, shareholders agreement, charter or by-law provisions or contractual restriction of any nature that might prohibit, impair, delay or otherwise affect the pledge of such Pledged Collateral hereunder, the sale or disposition thereof pursuant hereto or the exercise by the Administrative Agent of rights and remedies hereunder;
(e) each Grantor (i) has the power and authority to pledge the Pledged Collateral pledged by it hereunder in the manner hereby done or contemplated and (ii) will defend its title or interest thereto or therein against any and all Liens (other than any Lien created or expressly permitted by the Loan Documents), however arising, of all Persons whomsoever;
(f) no consent or approval of any Governmental Authority, any securities exchange or any other Person was or is necessary to the validity of the pledge effected hereby (other than such as have been obtained and are in full force and effect);
(g) by virtue of the execution and delivery by each Grantor of this Agreement, when any Pledged Collateral is delivered to the Administrative Agent in accordance with this Agreement, the Administrative Agent will obtain a legal, valid and perfected first priority lien upon and security interest in such Pledged Collateral as security for the payment and performance of the Obligations; and
(h) the pledge effected hereby is effective to vest in the Administrative Agent, for the ratable benefit of the Secured Parties, the rights of the Administrative Agent in the Pledged Collateral as set forth herein and all action by any Grantor necessary or desirable to protect and perfect the Lien on the Pledged Collateral has been duly taken.
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SECTION 3.04 Certification of Limited Liability Company Interests and Limited Partnership Interests. Except as otherwise provided on Schedule II, no interest in any limited liability company or limited partnership which is a Subsidiary and pledged hereunder shall be represented by a certificate, nor shall be a security within the meaning of Article 8 of the New York UCC. The Grantors shall not amend, or permit to be amended, the limited liability company agreement or partnership agreement of any Grantor whose Equity Interests are not, or are required by this Section 3.04 not to be, securities within the meaning of Article 8 of the Uniform Commercial Code in a manner to cause such Equity Interests to constitute securities within the meaning of Article 8 of the Uniform Commercial Code, unless such interest is thereafter represented by a certificate that is promptly delivered to the Administrative Agent pursuant to this Agreement accompanied by undated stock powers duly executed in blank.
SECTION 3.05 Registration in Nominee Name; Denominations. The Administrative Agent, on behalf of the Secured Parties, shall have the right (acting at the direction of the Required Lenders) to hold the Pledged Collateral in its own name as pledgee, the name of its nominee (as pledgee or as sub-agent) or the name of the applicable Grantor, endorsed or assigned in blank or in favor of the Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent shall (acting at the direction of the Required Lenders) at all times have the right to exchange the certificates representing Pledged Collateral for certificates of smaller or larger denominations for any purpose consistent with this Agreement.
SECTION 3.06 Voting Rights; Dividends and Interest, Etc.
(a) Unless and until an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing and the Administrative Agent (acting at the direction of the Required Lenders) shall have given the Grantors notice of its intent to exercise its rights under this Agreement which notice may be contemporaneous with such exercise (which notice shall be deemed to have been given immediately upon the occurrence of an Event of Default under clause (g) or (h) of Section 7.01 of the Credit Agreement):
(i) Each Grantor shall be entitled to exercise any and all voting and/or other consensual rights and powers inuring to an owner of Pledged Collateral or any part thereof for any purpose consistent with the terms of this Agreement, the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents; provided that such rights and powers shall not be exercised in any manner that could materially and adversely affect the rights inuring to a holder of any Pledged Collateral or the rights and remedies of any of the Administrative Agent or the other Secured Parties under this Agreement or the Credit Agreement or any other Loan Document or the ability of the Secured Parties to exercise the same.
(ii) Subject to paragraphs (b) and (c) of this Section 3.06, the Administrative Agent shall execute and deliver to each Grantor, or cause to be executed and delivered to each Grantor, all such proxies, powers of attorney and other instruments as such Grantor may reasonably request (at the sole expense of the Borrower) for the purpose of enabling such Grantor to exercise the voting and/or consensual rights and powers it is entitled to exercise pursuant to clause (i) above.
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(iii) Each Grantor shall be entitled to receive and retain any and all dividends, interest, principal and other distributions paid on or distributed in respect of the Pledged Collateral to the extent and only to the extent that such dividends, interest, principal and other distributions are expressly permitted by, and otherwise paid or distributed in accordance with, the terms and conditions of the Credit Agreement, the other Loan Documents and applicable law; provided that any noncash dividends, interest, principal or other distributions that would constitute Pledged Equity Interests or Pledged Debt Securities, whether resulting from a subdivision, combination or reclassification of the outstanding Equity Interests of the issuer of any Pledged Collateral or received in exchange for Pledged Collateral or any part thereof, or in redemption thereof, or as a result of any merger, consolidation, acquisition or other exchange of assets to which such issuer may be a party or otherwise, shall be and become part of the Pledged Collateral, and, if received by any Grantor, shall not be commingled by such Grantor with any of its other funds or property but shall be held separate and apart therefrom, shall be held in trust for the benefit of the Secured Parties and shall be forthwith delivered to the Administrative Agent in the same form as so received (with any necessary endorsement or instrument of assignment). This clause (iii) shall not apply to dividends between or among the Borrower and the Guarantors consisting only of property subject to a perfected security interest under this Agreement.
(b) Upon the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default, after the Administrative Agent shall have notified (or shall be deemed to have notified pursuant to Section 3.06(a)) the Grantors of the suspension of their rights under clause (a)(iii) of this Section 3.06, then all rights of any Grantor to dividends, interest, principal or other distributions that such Grantor is authorized to receive pursuant to clause (a)(iii) of this Section 3.06 shall cease, and all such rights shall thereupon become vested in the Administrative Agent, which shall have the sole and exclusive right and authority to receive and retain such dividends, interest, principal or other distributions (for the benefit of the Secured Parties). All dividends, interest, principal or other distributions received by any Grantor contrary to the provisions of this Section 3.06 shall be held in trust for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, shall be segregated from other property or funds of such Grantor and shall be forthwith delivered to the Administrative Agent upon demand by the Administrative Agent (acting at the direction of the Required Lenders) in the same form as so received (with any necessary endorsement or instrument of assignment). Any and all money and other property paid over to or received by the Administrative Agent pursuant to the provisions of this clause (b) shall be retained by the Administrative Agent in an account (which may be non-interest bearing) to be established by the Administrative Agent upon receipt of such money or other property and shall be applied in accordance with the provisions of Section 5.02. After all Events of Default have been cured or waived and each applicable Grantor has delivered to the Administrative Agent certificates to that effect, the Administrative Agent shall, promptly after all such Events of Default have been cured or waived, repay to each applicable Grantor (without interest) all dividends, interest, principal or other distributions that such Grantor would otherwise be permitted to retain pursuant to the terms of clause (a)(iii) of this Section 3.06 and that remain in such account.
(c) Upon the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default, after the Administrative Agent shall have notified (or shall be deemed to have notified pursuant to Section 3.06(a)) the Grantors of the suspension of their rights under clause (a)(i) of this Section 3.06, then all rights of any Grantor to exercise the voting and consensual rights and powers it is entitled to exercise pursuant to clause (a)(i) of this Section 3.06, and the obligations of the
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Administrative Agent under clause (a)(ii) of this Section 3.06, shall cease, and all such rights shall thereupon become vested in the Administrative Agent, which shall have the sole and exclusive right and authority (acting at the direction of the Required Lenders) to exercise such voting and consensual rights and powers; provided that, the Administrative Agent (acting at the direction of the Required Lenders) shall have the right from time to time following and during the continuance of an Event of Default to permit the Grantors to exercise such rights. Without limiting any of the rights set forth in this Section 3.06, each Grantor hereby grants to the Administrative Agent an irrevocable proxy to vote all or any part of the Pledged Collateral held by such Grantor and to exercise all other rights, powers, privileges and remedies to which a holder of such Pledged Collateral would be entitled (including giving or withholding written consents of shareholders, partners or members, as the case may be, calling special meetings of shareholders, partners or members, as the case may be, and voting at such meetings), which proxy shall be effective automatically and without the necessity of any action (including any transfer of such Pledged Collateral on the record books of the issuer thereof) by any other Person (including the issuer of such Equity Interests or any officer or agent thereof) during each period of time that an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing. Each Grantor acknowledges and agrees that the irrevocable proxy granted to the Administrative Agent by such Grantor pursuant to the preceding sentence with respect to the Pledged Collateral held by such Grantor is coupled with an interest and shall be exercisable by the Administrative Agent (acting at the direction of the Required Lenders) during each period of time that an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, regardless of the length of any such period of time. In furtherance thereof, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, each Grantor hereby authorizes and instructs any issuer with respect to any Pledged Collateral to (x) comply with any instruction received by it from the Administrative Agent in writing that (A) states that an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and (B) is otherwise in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, without any other or further instructions from such Grantor, and each Grantor agrees that each such issuer shall be fully protected in so complying following receipt of such notice and prior to further notice from the Administrative Agent that such Event of Default is no longer continuing, and (y) except as otherwise expressly permitted hereby, pay any dividends, distributions or other payments with respect to any Pledged Collateral during the occurrence and continuance of such Event of Default directly to the Administrative Agent (for the benefit of the Secured Parties).
(d) Each Grantor shall execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent, or cause to be executed and delivered to the Administrative Agent, all such proxies, powers of attorney and other instruments as the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders may reasonably request (at the sole expense of the Borrower) for the purpose of enabling the Administrative Agent or its nominee to exercise the voting and consensual rights and powers it is entitled to exercise pursuant to clause (c) above.
(e) Any notice given by the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders, as applicable, to the Grantors exercising its rights under clause (a) of this Section 3.06 (i) may be given by telephone if promptly confirmed in writing, (ii) may be given to one or more of the Grantors at the same or different times and (iii) may suspend the rights of the Grantors under clause (a)(i) or clause (a)(iii) in part without suspending all such rights (as specified by the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders in its or their sole and absolute discretion) and without waiving or otherwise affecting the Administrative Agents or the Required Lenders rights to give additional notices from time to time suspending other rights so long as an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing.
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SECTION 3.07 Admission of Substitute Partner or Member. Each Grantor consents to the grant by each other Grantor to the Administrative Agent of a security interest in all Pledged Collateral and, without limiting the foregoing and notwithstanding anything in the contrary in any partnership agreement or limited liability company agreement governing any Pledged Equity Interests, consents to the transfer of any Pledged Collateral to the Administrative Agent or its nominee following an Event of Default and to the substitution of the Administrative Agent or its nominee as a partner in any partnership or as a member in any limited liability company with all the rights and powers related thereto.
ARTICLE IV
Security Interests in Personal Property
SECTION 4.01 Security Interest.
(a) As security for the payment or performance, as the case may be, in full of the Obligations, each Grantor hereby assigns and pledges to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, and hereby grants to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, a security interest (the Security Interest), in all right, title or interest in or to any and all of the following assets and properties now owned or at any time hereafter acquired by such Grantor or in which such Grantor now has or at any time in the future may acquire any right, title or interest (collectively, the Article 9 Collateral):
(i) all Accounts;
(ii) all Chattel Paper, including all Electronic Chattel Paper;
(iii) all Commercial Tort Claims (including all Commercial Tort Claims listed on Schedule IV);
(iv) all Deposit Accounts and all other bank accounts;
(v) all Documents;
(vi) all General Intangibles, including Intellectual Property;
(vii) all Goods;
(viii) all Inventory;
(ix) all Equipment;
(x) all Fixtures;
(xi) all Instruments;
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(xii) all Investment Property;
(xiii) all Letter-of-Credit Rights;
(xiv) all monies, whether or not in the possession or under the control of any Secured Party, or a bailee or Affiliate or branch of any Secured Party, including any cash;
(xv) all digital currency and all Controllable Electronic Records, Controllable Accounts and Controllable Payment Intangibles (as such terms are defined in the NYUCC or the New York Senate Bill S7244 proposing Amendments to the Official Text of the New York Uniform Commercial Code (2022), as applicable;
(xvi) all books and records pertaining to the Article 9 Collateral; and
(xvii) to the extent not otherwise included, all Proceeds and products of, and all Supporting Obligations for, any and all of the foregoing and all collateral security and guarantees given by any Person with respect to any of the foregoing.
(b) Notwithstanding the above, the Collateral shall not include any Excluded Assets.
(c) Each Grantor hereby irrevocably authorizes the Administrative Agent and the Required Lenders (and their respective designees) for the benefit of the Secured Parties at any time and from time to time to file in any relevant jurisdiction any initial financing statements or continuation statements (including fixture filings) with respect to the Article 9 Collateral or any part thereof and amendments thereto that (i) indicate the Article 9 Collateral as all assets of such Grantor or words of similar effect, and (ii) contain the information required by Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code of each applicable jurisdiction for the filing of any financing statement or amendment, including (A) whether such Grantor is an organization, the type of organization and any organizational identification number issued to such Grantor and (B) in the case of a financing statement filed as a fixture filing, a sufficient description of the real property to which such Article 9 Collateral relates. Each Grantor agrees to provide such information to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders promptly upon request.
Each Grantor also ratifies its authorization for the Administrative Agent and the Required Lenders (and their respective designees) to file in any relevant jurisdiction any initial financing statements or amendments thereto if filed prior to the date hereof.
The Administrative Agent and the Required Lenders (and their respective designees) are further authorized to file with the United States Patent and Trademark Office or United States Copyright Office (or any successor office or any similar office in any other country) such documents as may be necessary or advisable for the purpose of perfecting, confirming, continuing, enforcing or protecting the Security Interest granted by each Grantor, without the signature of any Grantor, and naming any Grantor or the Grantors as debtors and the Administrative Agent as secured party.
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(d) The Security Interest is granted as security only and shall not subject the Administrative Agent or any other Secured Party to, or in any way alter or modify, any obligation or liability of any Grantor with respect to or arising out of the Article 9 Collateral.
SECTION 4.02 Representations and Warranties. The Grantors jointly and severally represent and warrant to the Administrative Agent and the Secured Parties that:
(a) Each Grantor has good and valid rights in and title to the Article 9 Collateral with respect to which it has purported to grant a Security Interest hereunder and has full power and authority to grant to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, the Security Interest in such Article 9 Collateral pursuant hereto and to execute, deliver and perform its obligations in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, without the consent or approval of any other Person other than any consent or approval that has been obtained and is in full force and effect.
(b) The Perfection Certificate has been duly prepared, completed and executed and the information set forth therein (including (x) the exact legal name of each Grantor and (y) the jurisdiction of organization of each Grantor) is correct and complete as of the Closing Date. Uniform Commercial Code financing statements (including fixture filings, as applicable) or other appropriate filings, recordings or registrations containing a description of the Article 9 Collateral have been prepared by counsel to the Required Lenders based upon the information provided to the Administrative Agent and the Secured Parties in the Perfection Certificate for filing in each governmental, municipal or other office specified in Section 2 of the Perfection Certificate (or specified by notice from the Borrower to the Administrative Agent after the Closing Date in the case of filings, recordings or registrations required by Sections 5.06, 5.11 or 5.17 of the Credit Agreement), which are all the filings, recordings and registrations (other than filings required to be made in the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the United States Copyright Office in order to perfect the Security Interest in the Article 9 Collateral consisting of United States Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights) that are necessary to publish notice of and protect the validity of and to establish a legal, valid and perfected security interest in favor of the Administrative Agent (for the benefit of the Secured Parties) in respect of all Article 9 Collateral in which the Security Interest may be perfected by filing, recording or registration in the United States (or any political subdivision thereof) and its territories and possessions, and no further or subsequent filing, refiling, recording, rerecording, registration or reregistration is necessary in any such jurisdiction, except as provided under applicable law with respect to the filing of continuation statements. Each Grantor represents and warrants that a fully executed agreement in the form hereof (or a fully executed short form agreement in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Required Lenders), and containing a description of all Article 9 Collateral consisting of Intellectual Property with respect to United States Patents and United States registered Trademarks (and Trademarks for which United States registration applications are pending), United States registered Copyrights has been delivered to the Administrative Agent for recording by the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the United States Copyright Office pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §261, 15 U.S.C. §1060 or 17 U.S.C. §205 and the regulations thereunder, as applicable, and otherwise as may be required pursuant to the laws of any other necessary jurisdiction, to protect the validity of and to establish a legal, valid and perfected security interest in favor of the Administrative Agent (for the ratable benefit of the Secured Parties) in respect of all Article 9 Collateral consisting of Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights in which a
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security interest may be perfected by filing, recording or registration in the United States (or any political subdivision thereof) and its territories and possessions, and no further or subsequent filing, refiling, recording, rerecording, registration or reregistration is necessary (other than such actions as are necessary to perfect the Security Interest with respect to any Article 9 Collateral consisting of Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights (or registration or application for registration thereof) acquired or developed after the date hereof).
(c) The Security Interest constitutes (i) a legal and valid security interest in all Article 9 Collateral securing the payment and performance of the Obligations, (ii) subject to the filings described in Section 4.02(b), a perfected security interest in all Article 9 Collateral in which a security interest may be perfected by filing, recording or registering a financing statement or analogous document in the United States (or any political subdivision thereof) and its territories and possessions pursuant to the Uniform Commercial Code or other applicable law in such jurisdictions and (iii) a security interest that shall be perfected in all Article 9 Collateral in which a security interest may be perfected upon the receipt and recording of this Agreement (or a fully executed short form agreement in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Required Lenders) with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the United States Copyright Office, as applicable. The Security Interest is and shall be prior to any other Lien on any of the Article 9 Collateral, other than Liens expressly permitted pursuant to Section 6.02 of the Credit Agreement that have priority as a matter of law.
(d) The Article 9 Collateral is owned by the Grantors free and clear of any Lien, except for Liens expressly permitted pursuant to Section 6.02 of the Credit Agreement. No Grantor has filed or consented to the filing of (i) any financing statement or analogous document under the Uniform Commercial Code or any other applicable laws covering any Article 9 Collateral, (ii) any assignment in which any Grantor assigns any Collateral or any security agreement or similar instrument covering any Article 9 Collateral with the United States Patent and Trademark Office or the United States Copyright Office, (iii) any notice under the Assignment of Claims Act, or (iv) any assignment in which any Grantor assigns any Article 9 Collateral or any security agreement or similar instrument covering any Article 9 Collateral with any foreign governmental, municipal or other office, which financing statement or analogous document, assignment, security agreement or similar instrument is still in effect, except, in each case, for Liens expressly permitted pursuant to Section 6.02 of the Credit Agreement. No Grantor holds any Commercial Tort Claims except as indicated on Schedule IV.
SECTION 4.03 Covenants.
(a) Each Grantor agrees to furnish to the Administrative Agent at least 20 Business Days prior written notice of any change in (i) its legal name, (ii) its identity or type of organization or corporate structure, (iii) its Federal Taxpayer Identification Number or organizational identification number or (iv) its jurisdiction of organization. Each Grantor agrees promptly to provide the Administrative Agent with certified organizational documents reflecting any of the changes described in the first sentence of this clause (a). Each Grantor agrees not to effect or permit any change referred to in the preceding sentence unless all filings have been made under the Uniform Commercial Code or otherwise that are required in order for the Administrative Agent to continue at all times following such change to have a valid, legal and perfected first priority security interest in all the Article 9 Collateral.
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(b) Each Grantor agrees to maintain, at its own cost and expense, such complete and accurate records with respect to the Article 9 Collateral owned by it as is consistent with its current practices and in accordance with such prudent and standard practices used in industries that are the same as or similar to those in which such Grantor is engaged, but in any event to include complete accounting records indicating all payments and proceeds received with respect to any part of the Article 9 Collateral, and, at such time or times as the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders may request, promptly to prepare and deliver to the Administrative Agent a duly certified schedule or schedules in form and detail satisfactory to the Required Lenders showing the identity, amount and location of any and all Article 9 Collateral.
(c) Each year, at the time of delivery of annual financial statements with respect to the preceding fiscal year pursuant to Section 5.04(a) of the Credit Agreement, the Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent a certificate executed by its chief legal officer and a Responsible Officer of the Borrower certifying that all Uniform Commercial Code financing statements (including fixture filings, as applicable) or other appropriate filings recordings or registrations, including all refilings, recordings and registrations, containing a description of the Article 9 Collateral have been filed of record in each governmental, municipal or other appropriate office in each jurisdiction identified pursuant to clause (a) of this Section 4.03 to the extent necessary to protect and perfect the Security Interest for a period of not less than 18 months after the date of such certificate (except as noted therein with respect to any continuation statements to be filed within such period). Each certificate delivered pursuant to this Section 4.03(c) shall identify in the format of Schedule III all Intellectual Property of any Grantor in existence on the date thereof and not then listed on such Schedules or previously so identified to the Administrative Agent.
(d) Each Grantor shall, at its own expense, take any and all actions necessary to defend title to the Article 9 Collateral against all Persons and to defend the Security Interest of the Administrative Agent in the Article 9 Collateral and the priority thereof against any Lien not expressly permitted pursuant to Section 6.02 of the Credit Agreement.
(e) Each Grantor agrees, at its own expense, promptly to execute, acknowledge, deliver and cause to be duly filed all such further instruments and documents and take all such actions as the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders may from time to time reasonably request to better assure, obtain, preserve, protect and perfect the Security Interest and the rights and remedies created hereby, including the payment of any fees and Taxes required in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement, the granting of the Security Interest and the filing of any financing or continuation statements (including fixture filings, as applicable) or other documents in connection herewith or therewith. If any amount payable to any Grantor under or in connection with any of the Article 9 Collateral shall be or become evidenced by any promissory note or other instrument upon the request of the Required Lenders, such note or instrument shall be promptly pledged and delivered to the Administrative Agent, duly endorsed in a manner satisfactory to the Required Lenders.
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Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, each Grantor hereby authorizes the Administrative Agent (acting at the direction of the Required Lenders), with prompt notice thereof to the Grantors, to supplement this Agreement by supplementing Schedule III or adding additional schedules hereto to identify specifically any asset or item of a Grantor that may, in the judgment of the Administrative Agent (acting at the direction of the Required Lenders), constitute Copyrights, Licenses, Patents or Trademarks; provided that any Grantor shall have the right, exercisable within ten days after it has been notified by the Administrative Agent of the specific identification of such Collateral, to advise the Administrative Agent in writing of any inaccuracy of the representations and warranties made by such Grantor hereunder with respect to such Collateral. Each Grantor agrees that it will use its best efforts to take such action as shall be necessary in order that all representations and warranties hereunder shall be true and correct with respect to such Collateral within 30 days after the date it has been notified by the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders of the specific identification of such Collateral.
(f) The Administrative Agent and the Required Lenders and such Persons as they may designate shall have the right, at the applicable Grantors own cost and expense, to inspect the Article 9 Collateral, all records related thereto (and to make extracts and copies from such records) and the premises upon which any of the Article 9 Collateral is located, to discuss the applicable Grantors affairs with the officers of such Grantor and its independent accountants and to verify the existence, validity, amount, quality, quantity, value, condition and status of, or any other matter relating to, the Article 9 Collateral, including, in the case of any Accounts or any other Article 9 Collateral in the possession of any third Person, by contacting Account Debtors or the third Person possessing such Article 9 Collateral for the purpose of making such a verification. The Administrative Agent and the Required Lenders shall have the absolute right to share any information it gains from such inspection or verification with any Secured Party.
(g) At its option, the Administrative Agent may (but shall have no obligation to) discharge past due Taxes, assessments, charges, fees, Liens, security interests or other encumbrances at any time levied or placed on the Article 9 Collateral and not expressly permitted pursuant to Sections 5.03 or 6.02 of the Credit Agreement, and may pay for the maintenance and preservation of the Article 9 Collateral to the extent any Grantor fails to do so as required by the Credit Agreement or this Agreement, and each Grantor jointly and severally agrees to reimburse the Administrative Agent on demand for any payment made or any expense incurred by the Administrative Agent pursuant to the foregoing authorization; provided that nothing in this clause (g) shall be interpreted as excusing any Grantor from the performance of, or imposing any obligation on the Administrative Agent or any Secured Party to cure or perform, any covenants or other promises of any Grantor with respect to Taxes, assessments, charges, fees, Liens, security interests or other encumbrances and maintenance as set forth herein or in the other Loan Documents. All sums disbursed by the Administrative Agent in connection with this clause (g), including attorneys fees, court costs, expenses and other charges relating thereto, shall be additional Obligations secured hereby.
(h) If at any time any Grantor shall take a security interest in any property of an Account Debtor or any other Person to secure payment and performance of an Account, such Grantor shall, upon the request of the Required Lenders, promptly assign such security interest to the Administrative Agent for the ratable benefit of the Secured Parties. Such assignment need not be filed of public record unless necessary to continue the perfected status of the security interest against creditors of and transferees from the Account Debtor or other Person granting the security interest.
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(i) Each Grantor shall remain liable to observe and perform all the conditions and obligations to be observed and performed by it under each contract, agreement or instrument relating to the Article 9 Collateral, all in accordance with the terms and conditions thereof, and each Grantor jointly and severally agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Administrative Agent and the Secured Parties from and against any and all liability for such performance.
(j) No Grantor shall make or permit to be made an assignment, pledge or hypothecation of the Article 9 Collateral or shall grant any other Lien in respect of the Article 9 Collateral or permit any notice to be filed under the Assignment of Claims Act, except, in each case, as expressly permitted by Section 6.02 of the Credit Agreement. No Grantor shall make or permit to be made any transfer of the Article 9 Collateral and each Grantor shall remain at all times in possession or otherwise in control of the Article 9 Collateral owned by it, except as expressly permitted by the Credit Agreement.
(k) [Reserved].
(l) Each Grantor, at its own expense, shall maintain or cause to be maintained insurance covering physical loss or damage to the Inventory and Equipment in accordance with the requirements set forth in Section 5.02 of the Credit Agreement. Each Grantor irrevocably makes, constitutes and appoints the Administrative Agent (and all officers, employees or agents designated by the Administrative Agent) as such Grantors true and lawful agent (and attorney-in-fact) for the purpose, upon the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default, of making, settling and adjusting claims in respect of Article 9 Collateral under policies of insurance, endorsing the name of such Grantor on any check, draft, instrument or other item of payment for the proceeds of such policies of insurance and for making all determinations and decisions with respect thereto. In the event that any Grantor at any time or times shall fail to obtain or maintain any of the policies of insurance required hereby or under the Credit Agreement or to pay any premium in whole or part relating thereto, the Administrative Agent may, without waiving or releasing any obligation or liability of any Grantor hereunder or any Default or Event of Default, in its sole discretion, obtain and maintain such policies of insurance and pay such premium and take any other actions with respect thereto as the Administrative Agent deems advisable. All sums disbursed by the Administrative Agent in connection with this clause (l), including attorneys fees, court costs, expenses and other charges relating thereto, shall be payable, upon demand, by the Grantors to the Administrative Agent and shall be additional Obligations secured hereby.
SECTION 4.04 Other Actions. In order to further ensure the attachment, perfection and priority of, and the ability of the Administrative Agent to enforce, the Security Interest in the Article 9 Collateral, each Grantor agrees, in each case at such Grantors own expense, to take the following actions with respect to the following Article 9 Collateral:
(a) Instruments. If any Grantor shall at any time hold or acquire any Instruments, such Grantor shall forthwith endorse, assign and deliver the same to the Administrative Agent, accompanied by such undated instruments of endorsement, transfer or assignment duly executed in blank as the Required Lenders may from time to time specify.
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(b) Deposit Accounts. Each Grantor shall promptly notify the Administrative Agent in writing if such Grantor opens or maintains any Deposit Account, and for each such Deposit Account that any Grantor at any time opens or at any time maintains (including Deposit Accounts maintained as of the Closing Date), such Grantor shall cause the depositary bank to agree to comply at any time with instructions from the Administrative Agent to such depositary bank directing the disposition of funds from time to time credited to such Deposit Account, without further consent of such Grantor or any other Person, pursuant to an agreement in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the Required Lenders. The Administrative Agent agrees with each Grantor that the Administrative Agent shall not give any such instructions or withhold any withdrawal rights from any Grantor, unless an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, or, after giving effect to any withdrawal, would occur. The provisions of this clause (b) shall not apply to any Deposit Account for which any Grantor, the depositary bank and the Administrative Agent have entered into a cash collateral agreement specially negotiated among such Grantor, the depositary bank and the Administrative Agent for the specific purpose set forth therein.
(c) Investment Property. Except to the extent otherwise provided in Article III, if any Grantor shall at any time hold or acquire any certificated securities, such Grantor shall forthwith endorse, assign and deliver the same to the Administrative Agent, accompanied by such undated instruments of transfer or assignment duly executed in blank as the Required Lenders may from time to time specify. If any securities now or hereafter acquired by any Grantor are uncertificated and are issued to such Grantor or its nominee directly by the issuer thereof, such Grantor shall promptly notify the Administrative Agent thereof in writing and, at the Administrative Agents or the Required Lenders request and option, pursuant to an agreement in form and substance satisfactory to the Required Lenders, either (i) cause the issuer to agree to comply with instructions originated by the Administrative Agent as to such securities, without further consent of any Grantor or such nominee, or (ii) arrange for the Administrative Agent to become the registered owner of the securities. Each Grantor that is an issuer of any securities included in the Collateral agrees to comply with instructions originated by the Administrative Agent as to such securities, without further consent of the registered owner of such securities. If any securities, whether certificated or uncertificated, or other Investment Property now or hereafter acquired by any Grantor are held by such Grantor or its nominee through a Securities Intermediary or Commodity Intermediary, such Grantor shall promptly notify the Administrative Agent thereof in writing and, at the Administrative Agents or the Required Lenders request and option, pursuant to an agreement in form and substance satisfactory to the Required Lenders, either (i) cause such Securities Intermediary or Commodity Intermediary, as the case may be, (x) to agree to comply with Entitlement Orders from the Administrative Agent to such Securities Intermediary as to such securities or other Investment Property, or (as the case may be) (y) to apply any value distributed on account of any commodity contract as directed by the Administrative Agent (acting at the direction of the Required Lenders) to such Commodity Intermediary, in each case without further consent of any Grantor or such nominee, or (ii) in the case of Financial Assets (as governed by Article 8 of the Uniform Commercial Code) or other Investment Property held through a Securities Intermediary, arrange for the Administrative Agent to become the Entitlement Holder with respect to such Investment Property, with the Grantor being permitted, only with the consent of the
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Administrative Agent (acting at the direction of the Required Lenders), to exercise rights to withdraw or otherwise deal with such Investment Property. The Administrative Agent agrees with each Grantor that the Administrative Agent shall not give any such Entitlement Orders or instructions or directions to any such issuer, Securities Intermediary or Commodity Intermediary, and shall not withhold its consent to the exercise of any withdrawal or dealing rights by any Grantor, unless an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, or, after giving effect to any such investment and withdrawal rights would occur. The provisions of this clause (c) shall not apply to any Financial Assets credited to a Securities Account for which the Administrative Agent is the Securities Intermediary.
(d) Electronic Chattel Paper and Transferable Records. If any Grantor at any time holds or acquires an interest in any Electronic Chattel Paper or any transferable record, as that term is defined in Section 201 of the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, or in Section 16 of the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act as in effect in any relevant jurisdiction, such Grantor shall promptly notify the Administrative Agent thereof in writing and, at the request of the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders, shall take such action as the Required Lenders may request to vest in the Administrative Agent control of such Electronic Chattel Paper under Section 9-105 of the Uniform Commercial Code or Section 201 of the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act or, as the case may be, Section 16 of the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, as so in effect in such jurisdiction, of such transferable record. The Administrative Agent agrees with such Grantor that the Administrative Agent will arrange, pursuant to procedures satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the Required Lenders and so long as such procedures will not result in the Administrative Agents loss of control, for the Grantor to make alterations to the Electronic Chattel Paper or transferable record permitted under Section 9-105 of the Uniform Commercial Code or, as the case may be, Section 201 of the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act or Section 16 of the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act for a party in control to allow without loss of control, unless an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would occur after taking into account any action by such Grantor with respect to such Electronic Chattel Paper or transferable record.
(e) Letter-of-Credit Rights. If any Grantor is at any time a beneficiary under a letter of credit now or hereafter issued in favor of such Grantor, such Grantor shall promptly notify the Administrative Agent thereof in writing and, at the request and option of the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders, such Grantor shall, pursuant to an agreement in form and substance satisfactory to the Required Lenders, either (i) arrange for the issuer and any confirmer of such letter of credit to consent to an assignment to the Administrative Agent of the proceeds of any drawing under the letter of credit or (ii) arrange for the Administrative Agent to become the transferee beneficiary of the letter of credit, with the Administrative Agent agreeing, in each case, that the proceeds of any drawing under the letter of credit are to be paid to the applicable Grantor unless an Event of Default has occurred or is continuing.
(f) Commercial Tort Claims. If any Grantor shall at any time hold or acquire a Commercial Tort Claim in an amount reasonably estimated to exceed $250,000 the Grantor shall promptly notify the Administrative Agent thereof in a writing signed by such Grantor, including a summary description of such claim, and grant to the Administrative Agent, for the ratable benefit of the Secured Parties, in such writing a security interest therein and in the proceeds thereof, all upon the terms of this Agreement, with such writing to be in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the Required Lenders.
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SECTION 4.05 Covenants Regarding Patent, Trademark and Copyright Collateral.
(a) Each Grantor agrees that it will not, and will not permit any of its licensees or sublicensees to, do any act, or omit to do any act, whereby any Patent that is material to the conduct of such Grantors business may become invalidated or dedicated to the public, and agrees that it shall continue to mark any products covered by a Patent with the relevant patent number as necessary and sufficient to establish and preserve its maximum rights under applicable patent laws.
(b) Each Grantor (either itself or through its licensees or its sublicensees) will, for each Trademark material to the conduct of such Grantors business, (i) maintain such Trademark in full force free from any claim of abandonment or invalidity for non-use, (ii) maintain the quality of products and services offered under such Trademark, (iii) display such Trademark with notice of Federal or foreign registration to the extent necessary and sufficient to establish and preserve its maximum rights under applicable law and (iv) not knowingly use or knowingly permit the use of such Trademark in violation of any third party rights.
(c) Each Grantor (either itself or through its licensees or sublicensees) will, for each work covered by a material Copyright, continue to publish, reproduce, display, adopt and distribute the work with appropriate copyright notice as necessary and sufficient to establish and preserve its maximum rights under applicable copyright laws.
(d) Each Grantor shall notify the Administrative Agent promptly in writing if it knows or has reason to know that any Patent, Trademark or Copyright material to the conduct of its business may become abandoned, lost or dedicated to the public, or of any adverse determination or development (including the institution of, or any such determination or development in, any proceeding in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, United States Copyright Office or any court or similar office of any country) regarding such Grantors ownership of any Patent, Trademark or Copyright, its right to register the same, or its right to keep and maintain the same.
(e) In no event shall any Grantor, either itself or through any agent, employee, licensee or designee, file an application for any Patent, Trademark or Copyright (or for the registration of any Trademark or Copyright) with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, United States Copyright Office or any office or agency in any political subdivision of the United States or in any other country or any political subdivision thereof, unless it promptly notifies the Administrative Agent in writing, and, upon request of the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders, executes and delivers any and all agreements, instruments, documents and papers as the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders may request to evidence the Security Interest in such Patent, Trademark or Copyright, and each Grantor hereby appoints the Administrative Agent as its attorney-in-fact to execute and file such writings for the foregoing purposes, all acts of such attorney being hereby ratified and confirmed; such power, being coupled with an interest, is irrevocable.
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(f) Each Grantor will take all necessary steps that are consistent with the practice in any proceeding before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, United States Copyright Office or any office or agency in any political subdivision of the United States or in any other country or any political subdivision thereof, to maintain and pursue each material application relating to the Patents, Trademarks and/or Copyrights (and to obtain the relevant grant or registration) and to maintain each issued Patent and each registration of the Trademarks and Copyrights that is material to the conduct of any Grantors business, including timely filings of applications for renewal, affidavits of use, affidavits of incontestability and payment of maintenance fees, and, if consistent with good business judgment, to initiate opposition, interference and cancellation proceedings against third parties.
(g) In the event that any Grantor knows or has reason to believe that any Article 9 Collateral consisting of a Patent, Trademark or Copyright material to the conduct of any Grantors business has been or is about to be infringed, misappropriated or diluted by a third Person, such Grantor shall, if consistent with good business judgment, promptly sue for infringement, misappropriation or dilution and to recover any and all damages for such infringement, misappropriation or dilution, and take such other actions as are appropriate under the circumstances to protect such Article 9 Collateral.
(h) Upon the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default, each Grantor shall use its best efforts to obtain all requisite consents or approvals by the licensor of each Copyright License, Patent License or Trademark License, and each other material License, to effect the assignment of all such Grantors right, title and interest thereunder to the Administrative Agent, for the ratable benefit of the Secured Parties, or its designee.
ARTICLE V
Remedies
SECTION 5.01 Remedies Upon Default. Upon the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default, each Grantor agrees to deliver each item of Collateral to the Administrative Agent on demand, and it is agreed that the Administrative Agent (acting at the direction of the Required Lenders) shall have the right to take any of or all the following actions at the same or different times: (a) with respect to any Article 9 Collateral consisting of Intellectual Property, on demand, to cause the Security Interest to become an assignment, transfer and conveyance of any of or all such Article 9 Collateral by the applicable Grantor to the Administrative Agent, or to license or sublicense, whether general, special or otherwise, and whether on an exclusive or nonexclusive basis, any such Article 9 Collateral throughout the world on such terms and conditions and in such manner as the Administrative Agent (acting at the direction of the Required Lenders) shall determine (other than in violation of any then-existing licensing arrangements to the extent that waivers cannot be obtained), and (b) with or without legal process and with or without prior notice or demand for performance, to take possession of the Article 9 Collateral and without liability for trespass to enter any premises where the Article 9 Collateral may be located for the purpose of taking possession of or removing the Article 9 Collateral and, generally, to exercise any and all rights afforded to a secured party under the Uniform Commercial Code or other applicable law.
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Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, each Grantor agrees (a) at the Administrative Agents request, to assemble the Collateral and make it available to the Administrative Agent at places which the Administrative Agent shall reasonably select, whether at such Grantors premises or elsewhere, and (b) that the Administrative Agent shall have the right, subject to the mandatory requirements of applicable law, to sell or otherwise dispose of all or any part of the Collateral at a public or private sale or at any brokers board or on any securities exchange, for cash, upon credit or for future delivery as the Administrative Agent shall deem appropriate. The Administrative Agent shall be authorized at any such sale (if it deems it advisable to do so) to restrict the prospective bidders or purchasers to Persons who will represent and agree that they are purchasing the Collateral for their own account for investment and not with a view to the distribution or sale thereof, and upon consummation of any such sale the Administrative Agent shall have the right to assign, transfer and deliver to the purchaser or purchasers thereof the Collateral so sold. Each such purchaser at any such sale shall hold the property sold absolutely, free from any claim or right on the part of any Grantor, and each Grantor hereby waives (to the extent permitted by law) all rights of redemption, stay and appraisal which such Grantor now has or may at any time in the future have under any rule of law or statute now existing or hereafter enacted.
The Administrative Agent shall give each applicable Grantor ten days written notice (which each Grantor agrees is reasonable notice within the meaning of Section 9-611 and Section 9-612 of the Uniform Commercial Code) of the Administrative Agents intention to make any sale of Collateral. Such notice, in the case of a public sale, shall state the time and place for such sale and, in the case of a sale at a brokers board or on a securities exchange, shall state the board or exchange at which such sale is to be made and the day on which the Collateral, or portion thereof, will first be offered for sale at such board or exchange. Any such public sale shall be held at such time or times within ordinary business hours and at such place or places as the Administrative Agent may fix and state in the notice (if any) of such sale. At any such sale, the Collateral, or portion thereof, to be sold may be sold in one lot as an entirety or in separate parcels, as the Administrative Agent may (in its sole and absolute discretion) determine. The Administrative Agent (acting at the direction of the Required Lenders) shall not be obligated to make any sale of any Collateral if it shall determine not to do so, regardless of the fact that notice of sale of such Collateral shall have been given. The Administrative Agent may, without notice or publication, adjourn any public or private sale or cause the same to be adjourned from time to time by announcement at the time and place fixed for sale, and such sale may, without further notice, be made at the time and place to which the same was so adjourned. In case any sale of all or any part of the Collateral is made on credit or for future delivery, the Collateral so sold may be retained by the Administrative Agent until the sale price is paid by the purchaser or purchasers thereof, but the Administrative Agent shall not incur any liability in case any such purchaser or purchasers shall fail to take up and pay for the Collateral so sold and, in case of any such failure, such Collateral may be sold again upon like notice. The Administrative Agent, on behalf of itself and the Secured Parties, shall have the right to credit bid and purchase for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and the Secured Parties all or any portion of Collateral at any sale thereof conducted by the Administrative Agent under the provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code, including pursuant to Sections 9-610 or 9-620 of the Uniform Commercial Code, at any sale thereof conducted under the provisions of the United States Bankruptcy Code, including Section 363 thereof, or at any other sale or foreclosure conducted by the Administrative Agent (whether by judicial action or otherwise) in accordance with applicable law. Such credit bid or purchase
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may be completed through one or more acquisition vehicles formed by the Administrative Agent to make such credit bid or purchase and, in connection therewith, the Administrative Agent is authorized, on behalf of itself and the other Secured Parties, to adopt documents providing for the governance of the acquisition vehicle or vehicles, and assign the applicable Obligations to any such acquisition vehicle in exchange for Equity Interests and/or debt issued by the applicable acquisition vehicle (which shall be deemed to be held for the ratable account of the applicable Secured Parties on the basis of the Obligations so assigned by each Secured Party); provided that any actions by the Administrative Agent with respect to such acquisition vehicle or vehicles, including any disposition of the assets or Equity Interests thereof, shall be governed, directly or indirectly, by the vote of the Required Lenders, irrespective of the termination of the Credit Agreement or any other Loan Documents and without giving effect to the limitations on actions by the Required Lenders contained in Section 9.08 of the Credit Agreement. Each Lender, by its acceptance of the benefits of this Agreement, hereby agrees, on behalf of itself and each of its Affiliates that is a Secured Party, that, except as otherwise provided in any Loan Document or with the written consent of the Administrative Agent and the Required Lenders, it will not take any enforcement action, accelerate obligations under any of the Loan Documents, or exercise any right that it might otherwise have under applicable law to credit bid at foreclosure sales, Uniform Commercial Code sales or other similar dispositions of Collateral.
For purposes of this Section 5.01, a written agreement to purchase the Collateral or any portion thereof shall be treated as a sale thereof; the Administrative Agent shall be free to carry out such sale pursuant to such agreement and no Grantor shall be entitled to the return of the Collateral or any portion thereof subject thereto, notwithstanding the fact that after the Administrative Agent shall have entered into such an agreement all Events of Default shall have been remedied and the Obligations paid in full. As an alternative to exercising the power of sale herein conferred upon it, the Administrative Agent may proceed by a suit or suits at law or in equity to foreclose on the Liens and security interests granted under this Agreement or any other Security Document and to sell the Collateral or any portion thereof pursuant to a judgment or decree of a court or courts having competent jurisdiction or pursuant to a proceeding by a court-appointed receiver. Any sale pursuant to the provisions of this Section 5.01 shall be deemed to conform to the commercially reasonable standards as provided in Section 9-610(b) of the Uniform Commercial Code.
SECTION 5.02 Application of Proceeds. The Administrative Agent shall apply the proceeds of any collection, sale, foreclosure or other realization upon any Collateral, including any Collateral consisting of cash, in accordance with Section 7.02 of the Credit Agreement.
The Administrative Agent (acting at the direction of the Required Lenders) shall have absolute discretion as to the time of application of any such proceeds, moneys or balances in accordance with this Agreement. Upon any sale of Collateral by the Administrative Agent (including pursuant to a power of sale granted by statute or under a judicial proceeding), the receipt of the Administrative Agent or of the officer making the sale shall be a sufficient discharge to the purchaser or purchasers of the Collateral so sold and such purchaser or purchasers shall not be obligated to see to the application of any part of the purchase money paid over to the Administrative Agent or such officer or be answerable in any way for the misapplication thereof.
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SECTION 5.03 Grant of License to Use Intellectual Property. For the purpose of enabling the Administrative Agent to exercise rights and remedies under this Agreement at such time as the Administrative Agent shall be lawfully entitled to exercise such rights and remedies, each Grantor hereby grants to the Administrative Agent an irrevocable, nonexclusive, worldwide license (exercisable without payment of royalty or other compensation to the Grantors), to use, license or sublicense any of the Article 9 Collateral consisting of Intellectual Property now owned or hereafter acquired by such Grantor, and wherever the same may be located, and including in such license access to all media in which any of the licensed items may be recorded or stored and to all computer software and programs used for the compilation or printout thereof. The use of such license by the Administrative Agent (acting at the direction of the Required Lenders) may be exercised, at the option of the Administrative Agent, only upon the occurrence and during the continuation of an Event of Default; provided that any license, sublicense or other transaction entered into by the Administrative Agent (acting at the direction of the Required Lenders) in accordance herewith shall be binding upon each Grantor notwithstanding any subsequent cure of an Event of Default.
SECTION 5.04 Securities Act, Etc. In view of the position of the Grantors in relation to the Pledged Collateral, or because of other current or future circumstances, a question may arise under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as now or hereafter in effect, or any similar statute hereafter enacted analogous in purpose or effect (such Act and any such similar statute as from time to time in effect being called the Federal Securities Laws) with respect to any disposition of the Pledged Collateral permitted hereunder. Each Grantor understands that compliance with the Federal Securities Laws might strictly limit the course of conduct of the Administrative Agent if the Administrative Agent were to attempt to dispose of all or any part of the Pledged Collateral and might also limit the extent to which or the manner in which any subsequent transferee of any Pledged Collateral could dispose of the same. Similarly, there may be other legal restrictions or limitations affecting the Administrative Agent in any attempt to dispose of all or part of the Pledged Collateral under applicable blue sky or other state securities laws or similar laws analogous in purpose or effect. Each Grantor recognizes that in light of such restrictions and limitations the Administrative Agent may, with respect to any sale of the Pledged Collateral, limit the purchasers to those who will agree, among other things, to acquire such Pledged Collateral for their own account, for investment, and not with a view to the distribution or resale thereof. Each Grantor acknowledges and agrees that in light of such restrictions and limitations, the Administrative Agent (acting at the direction of the Required Lenders in their sole and absolute discretion) may (a) proceed to make such a sale whether or not a registration statement for the purpose of registering such Pledged Collateral or part thereof shall have been filed under the Federal Securities Laws or, to the extent applicable, blue sky or other state securities laws and (b) approach and negotiate with a limited number of potential purchasers (including a single potential purchaser) to effect such sale. Each Grantor acknowledges and agrees that any such sale might result in prices and other terms less favorable to the seller than if such sale were a public sale without such restrictions. In the event of any such sale, the Administrative Agent shall incur no responsibility or liability for selling all or any part of the Pledged Collateral at a price that the Administrative Agent (acting at the direction of the Required Lenders in their sole and absolute discretion) may in good faith deem reasonable under the circumstances, notwithstanding the possibility that a substantially higher price might have been realized if the sale were deferred until after registration as aforesaid or if more than a limited number of purchasers (or a single purchaser) were approached. The provisions of this Section 5.04 will apply notwithstanding the existence of a public or private market upon which the quotations or sales prices may exceed substantially the price at which the Administrative Agent sells.
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ARTICLE VI
Indemnity, Subrogation and Subordination
SECTION 6.01 Indemnity and Subrogation. In addition to all such rights of indemnity and subrogation as the Guarantors may have under applicable law (but subject to Section 6.03), the Borrower agrees that (a) in the event a payment shall be made by any Guarantor under this Agreement, the Borrower shall indemnify such Guarantor for the full amount of such payment and such Guarantor shall be subrogated to the rights of the Person to whom such payment shall have been made to the extent of such payment and (b) in the event any assets of any Guarantor shall be sold pursuant to this Agreement or any other Security Document to satisfy in whole or in part a claim of any Secured Party, the Borrower shall indemnify such Guarantor in an amount equal to the greater of the book value or the fair market value of the assets so sold.
SECTION 6.02 Contribution and Subrogation. Each Guarantor (a Contributing Guarantor) agrees (subject to Section 6.03) that, in the event a payment shall be made by any other Guarantor hereunder in respect of any Obligation, or assets of any other Guarantor shall be sold pursuant to any Security Document to satisfy any Obligation, and such other Guarantor (the Claiming Guarantor) shall not have been fully indemnified by the Borrower as provided in Section 6.01, the Contributing Guarantor shall indemnify the Claiming Guarantor in an amount equal to (i) the amount of such payment or (ii) the greater of the book value or the fair market value of such assets, as the case may be, in each case multiplied by a fraction of which the numerator shall be the net worth of the Contributing Guarantor on the date hereof and the denominator shall be the aggregate net worth of all the Guarantors on the date hereof (or, in the case of any Guarantor becoming a party hereto pursuant to Section 7.16, the date of the supplement hereto executed and delivered by such Guarantor). Any Contributing Guarantor making any payment to a Claiming Guarantor pursuant to this Section 6.02 shall be subrogated to the rights of such Claiming Guarantor under Section 6.01 to the extent of such payment.
SECTION 6.03 Subordination. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, (a) all rights of the Guarantors under Sections 6.01 and 6.02 and all other rights of indemnity, contribution or subrogation under applicable law or otherwise shall be fully subordinated to, and may be exercised by such Guarantor solely after, the indefeasible payment in full in cash of the Obligations and (b) no Guarantor shall exercise any rights of subrogation, contribution, indemnity, reimbursement or other similar rights against (i) the Borrower or any other Grantor (including after payment in full of the Obligations), and each Guarantor shall be deemed to have waived all such rights and remedies, if all or any portion of the Obligations have been satisfied in connection with an exercise of remedies in respect of the Equity Interests of the Borrower or such other Guarantor whether pursuant to the Loan Documents or otherwise or (ii) the Secured Parties or any of their assignees or transferees of the Collateral. No failure on the part of the Borrower or any Guarantor to make the payments required by Sections 6.01 and 6.02 (or any other payments required under applicable law or otherwise) shall in any respect limit the obligations and liabilities of any Guarantor with respect to its obligations hereunder, and each Guarantor shall remain liable for the full amount of its obligations hereunder. The Borrower and each Guarantor hereby agree that all Indebtedness and other monetary obligations owed by it to the Borrower or any Subsidiary shall be fully subordinated and junior to the indefeasible payment in full in cash of the Obligations.
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ARTICLE VII
Miscellaneous
SECTION 7.01 Notices. All communications and notices hereunder shall (except as otherwise expressly permitted herein) be in writing and given as provided in Section 9.01 of the Credit Agreement. All communications and notices hereunder to any Guarantor shall be given to it in care of the Borrower as provided in Section 9.01 of the Credit Agreement.
SECTION 7.02 Security Interest Absolute. All rights of the Administrative Agent hereunder, the Security Interest, the grant of a security interest in the Pledged Collateral and all obligations of each Grantor hereunder shall be absolute and unconditional irrespective of (a) any lack of validity or enforceability of the Credit Agreement, any other Loan Document, any agreement with respect to any of the Obligations or any other agreement or instrument relating to any of the foregoing, (b) any change in the time, manner or place of payment of, or in any other term of, all or any of the Obligations, or any other amendment or waiver of or any consent to any departure from the Credit Agreement, any other Loan Document or any other agreement or instrument relating to the foregoing, (c) any exchange, release or non-perfection of any Lien on other collateral, or any release or amendment or waiver of or consent under or departure from any guarantee, securing or guaranteeing all or any of the Obligations, or (d) any other circumstance that might otherwise constitute a defense available to, or a discharge of, any Grantor in respect of the Obligations or this Agreement.
SECTION 7.03 Survival of Agreement. All covenants, agreements, representations and warranties made by the Loan Parties in the Loan Documents and in the certificates or other instruments prepared or delivered in connection with or pursuant to this Agreement or any other Loan Document shall be considered to have been relied upon by the Secured Parties and shall survive the execution and delivery of the Loan Documents and the making of any Loans, regardless of any investigation made by, or on behalf of, any Secured Party and notwithstanding that the Administrative Agent or any Secured Party may have had notice or knowledge of any Default, Event of Default or incorrect representation or warranty at the time any credit is extended under the Credit Agreement, and shall continue in full force and effect as long as the principal of or any accrued interest on any Loan or any fee or any other amount payable under any Loan Document is outstanding and unpaid and so long as the Commitments have not expired or terminated.
SECTION 7.04 Binding Effect; Several Agreement. This Agreement shall become effective as to any Loan Party when a counterpart hereof, including by supplement, executed on behalf of such Loan Party shall have been delivered to the Administrative Agent and a counterpart hereof shall have been executed on behalf of the Administrative Agent, and thereafter shall be binding upon such Loan Party and the Administrative Agent and their respective permitted successors and assigns, and shall inure to the benefit of such Loan Party, the Administrative Agent and the other Secured Parties and their respective successors and assigns, except that no Loan Party
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shall have the right to assign or transfer its rights or obligations hereunder or any interest herein or in the Collateral (and any such assignment or transfer shall be void) except as expressly contemplated or permitted by this Agreement or the Credit Agreement. This Agreement shall be construed as a separate agreement with respect to each Loan Party and may be amended, modified, supplemented, waived or released with respect to any Loan Party without the approval of any other Loan Party and without affecting the obligations of any other Loan Party hereunder.
SECTION 7.05 Successors and Assigns. Whenever in this Agreement any of the parties hereto is referred to, such reference shall be deemed to include the permitted successors and assigns of such party, and all covenants, promises and agreements by or on behalf of any Grantor or the Administrative Agent that are contained in this Agreement shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns.
SECTION 7.06 Administrative Agents Fees and Expenses; Indemnification.
(a) The parties hereto agree that the Administrative Agent shall be entitled to reimbursement of its expenses incurred hereunder as provided in Section 9.05 of the Credit Agreement.
(b) Without limitation of its indemnification obligations under the other Loan Documents, each Grantor jointly and severally agrees to indemnify the Administrative Agent and the other Indemnitees against, and hold each Indemnitee harmless from, any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, and related out of pocket expenses, including the fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for any Indemnitee, incurred by or asserted against any Indemnitee arising out of, in any way connected with, or as a result of, the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby or thereby; any use of proceeds of the Loans; any claim, litigation, investigation or proceeding relating to any of the foregoing or to the Collateral, regardless of whether any Indemnitee is a party thereto or whether initiated by a third party or by a Loan Party or any Affiliate thereof; any actual or alleged presence or Release of Hazardous Materials on any property currently or formerly owned or operated by the Borrower or any of the Subsidiaries or any Environmental Liability related in any way to the Borrower or the Subsidiaries; provided that such indemnity shall not, as to any Indemnitee, be available to the extent that such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or related expenses are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by final and nonappealable judgment to have resulted from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Indemnitee. To the extent permitted by applicable law, no Grantor shall assert, and each Grantor hereby waives any claim against any Indemnitee, on any theory of liability, for special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages (as opposed to direct or actual damages) arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of, this Agreement or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby, the Transactions or any Loan or the use of proceeds thereof.
(c) Any such amounts payable as provided hereunder shall be additional Obligations secured hereby and by the other Security Documents. The provisions of this Section 7.06 shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of the termination of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, the repayment of any of the Obligations, the expiration of the Commitments, the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, or any investigation made by or on behalf of the Administrative Agent or any other Secured Party. All amounts due under this Section 7.06 shall be payable on written demand therefor and shall bear interest, on and from the date of demand, at the rate specified in Section 2.06(a) of the Credit Agreement.
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SECTION 7.07 Administrative Agent Appointed Attorney-in-Fact. Each Grantor hereby appoints the Administrative Agent as the attorney-in-fact of such Grantor, exercisable by the Administrative Agent whether or not an Event of Default exists, with full power of substitution, for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Agreement and taking any action and executing any instrument that the Administrative Agent may deem necessary or advisable to accomplish the purposes hereof, which appointment is irrevocable and coupled with an interest. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Administrative Agent shall have the right, upon the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default, with full power of substitution either in the Administrative Agents name or in the name of such Grantor to (a) receive, endorse, assign and/or deliver any and all notes, acceptances, checks, drafts, money orders or other evidences of payment relating to the Collateral or any part thereof, (b) request, demand, sue for, collect, receive payment of, give receipt for and give discharges and releases of all or any of the Collateral, including any monies due or to become due under or by virtue of any of the Collateral, (c) sign the name of any Grantor on any invoice or bill of lading relating to any of the Collateral, (d) send verifications of Accounts to any Account Debtor, (e) commence and prosecute any and all suits, actions or proceedings at law or in equity in any court of competent jurisdiction to collect or otherwise realize on all or any of the Collateral or to enforce any rights in respect of any Collateral, (f) settle, compromise, compound, adjust or defend any actions, suits or proceedings relating to all or any of the Collateral, (g) notify, or to require any Grantor to notify, Account Debtors to make payment directly to the Administrative Agent, (h) use, sell, assign, transfer, pledge, make any agreement with respect to or otherwise deal with all or any of the Collateral, and to do all other acts and things necessary to carry out the purposes of this Agreement in accordance with its terms, as fully and completely as though the Administrative Agent were the absolute owner of the Collateral for all purposes, and (i) exercise, or permit its nominee to exercise as proxy, all voting, consensual and other rights pertaining to any Pledged Collateral as a holder of such Pledged Collateral (including by giving or withholding written consents of stockholders, partners or members, calling special meetings of stockholders, partners or members and voting at such meetings); provided that nothing herein contained shall be construed as requiring or obligating the Administrative Agent to make any commitment or to make any inquiry as to the nature or sufficiency of any payment received by the Administrative Agent, or to present or file any claim or notice, or to take any action with respect to the Collateral or any part thereof or the moneys due or to become due in respect thereof or any property covered thereby. The Administrative Agent and the other Secured Parties shall be accountable only for amounts actually received as a result of the exercise of the powers granted to them herein, and neither they nor their officers, directors, employees or agents shall be responsible to any Grantor for any act or failure to act hereunder, except for their own gross negligence or willful misconduct, in each case, as determined in a final and nonappealable judgment by a court of competent jurisdiction. The powers conferred on the Administrative Agent under this Agreement are solely to protect its interest in the Collateral and shall not impose any duty upon it to exercise any such powers. Except for the exercise of reasonable care in the custody of any Collateral in its possession and the accounting for moneys actually received by it hereunder, the Administrative Agent shall have no duty as to any Collateral or as to the taking of any necessary steps to preserve rights against prior parties or
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any other rights pertaining to any Collateral. The Administrative Agent shall be deemed to have exercised reasonable care in the custody and preservation of Collateral in its possession if such Collateral is accorded treatment substantially equal to that which the Administrative Agent accords its own property and will not be liable or responsible for any loss or damage to any Collateral or for any diminution in the value thereof, by reason of any act or omission of any sub-agent or bailee selected by the Administrative Agent, except to the extent a court of competent jurisdiction determines in a final and non-appealable judgment that the Administrative Agent acted with gross negligence or willful misconduct in the selection of such sub-agent or bailee.
SECTION 7.08 Applicable Law. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH AND GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK (INCLUDING SECTION 5-1401 OF THE NEW YORK GENERAL OBLIGATIONS LAWS, BUT OTHERWISE WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICTS OF LAW PRINCIPLES).
SECTION 7.09 Waivers; Amendment.
(a) No failure or delay by the Administrative Agent or any Lender in exercising any right, power or remedy hereunder or under any other Loan Document shall operate as a waiver hereof or thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right, power or remedy, or any abandonment or discontinuance of steps to enforce such a right, power or remedy, preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, power or remedy. The rights, powers and remedies of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders hereunder and under the other Loan Documents are cumulative and are not exclusive of any rights, powers or remedies that they would otherwise have. No waiver of any provision of any Loan Document or consent to any departure by any Loan Party therefrom shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be permitted by clause (c) of this Section 7.09, and then such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the purpose for which given. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the making of a Loan shall not be construed as a waiver of any Default or Event of Default, regardless of whether the Administrative Agent or any Lender may have had notice or knowledge of such Default or Event of Default at the time. No notice or demand on any Loan Party in any case shall entitle any Loan Party to any other or further notice or demand in similar or other circumstances.
(b) The Administrative Agent shall enjoy all the same rights, protections, immunities and indemnities granted to it under the Credit Agreement as though fully set forth herein. In performing its functions and duties under this Agreement, the Administrative Agent shall act solely as a non-fiduciary agent of the Secured Parties and does not assume, nor shall be deemed to have assumed, any obligation or relationship of trust with or for the Secured Parties. Nothing in this Agreement or any other Loan Document shall be interpreted as giving the Administrative Agent responsibility for or any duty concerning the validity, perfection, priority or enforceability of the liens granted hereunder or as giving the Administrative Agent any obligation to take any action to procure or maintain such validity, perfection, priority or enforceability. Unless otherwise expressly provided herein, in the performance of any act, right, or power hereunder, the Administrative Agent shall act only upon the direction of the Required Lenders with respect to all matters contemplated under this Agreement.
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(c) Neither this Agreement nor any provision hereof may be waived, amended or modified except pursuant to an agreement or agreements in writing entered into by the Administrative Agent and the Loan Party or Loan Parties with respect to which such waiver, amendment or modification is to apply, subject to any consent or direction required in accordance with Section 9.08 of the Credit Agreement.
(d) The Administrative Agent shall enjoy all the same rights, protections, immunities and indemnities granted to it under the Credit Agreement as though fully set forth herein, and all provisions of the Credit Agreement relating to the Administrative Agent, including but not limited to the provisions of Article VIII and Section 9.05 of the Credit Agreement, are incorporated herein by this reference, mutatis mutandis. In performing its functions and duties under this Agreement, the Administrative Agent shall act solely as a non-fiduciary agent of the Secured Parties and does not assume, nor shall be deemed to have assumed, any obligation or relationship of trust with or for the Secured Parties or the Loan Parties. Nothing in this Agreement or any other Loan Document shall be interpreted as giving the Administrative Agent responsibility for or any duty concerning the validity, perfection, priority or enforceability of the liens granted hereunder or as giving the Administrative Agent any obligation to take any action to procure or maintain such validity, perfection, priority or enforceability. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, notwithstanding anything herein or in any other Loan Document to the contrary, the Administrative Agent shall not have any duty to (i) file or prepare any financing or continuation statements or record any documents or instruments in any public office for purposes of creating, perfecting or maintaining any Lien or security interest created under this Agreement or any other Loan Document; (ii) take any necessary steps to preserve rights against any parties with respect to any Collateral; (iii) take any action to protect against any diminution in value of the Collateral or (iv) provide, maintain, monitor or preserve insurance on or the payment of any taxes with respect to any Collateral. Unless otherwise expressly provided herein, in the performance of any act, right, or power hereunder, the Administrative Agent shall act only upon the direction of the Required Lenders with respect to all matters contemplated under this Agreement.
SECTION 7.10 WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY LITIGATION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF, UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OF THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS. EACH PARTY HERETO (A) CERTIFIES THAT 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 THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT AND THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS, AS APPLICABLE, BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION 7.10.
SECTION 7.11 Severability. In the event any one or more of the provisions contained in this Agreement or in any other Loan Document should be held invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions contained herein and therein shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby (it being understood that the invalidity of a particular provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not in and of itself affect the validity of such provision in any other jurisdiction). The parties shall endeavor in good-faith negotiations to replace the invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with valid provisions the economic effect of which comes as close as possible to that of the invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.
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SECTION 7.12 Counterparts; Electronic Execution. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts (and by different parties hereto on different counterparts), each of which shall constitute an original but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single contract and shall become effective as provided in Section 7.04. Transmission by email, pdf or similar electronic copy of an executed counterpart of this Agreement shall be deemed to constitute due and sufficient delivery of such counterpart. Any party hereto may request an original counterpart of any party delivering such electronic counterpart. The words execution, signed, signature, delivery, and words of like import in or relating to this Agreement or any document to be signed in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall be deemed to include electronic signatures, deliveries or the keeping of records in electronic form, each of which shall be of the same legal effect, validity or enforceability as a manually executed signature, physical delivery thereof or the use of a paper-based recordkeeping system, as the case may be, to the extent and as provided for in any applicable law, including the federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, the New York State Electronic Signatures and Records Act, or any other state laws based on the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, and the parties to this Agreement consent to conduct the transactions contemplated hereunder by electronic means.
SECTION 7.13 Headings. Article and Section headings and the Table of Contents used herein are for convenience of reference only, are not part of this Agreement and are not to affect the construction of, or to be taken into consideration in interpreting, this Agreement.
SECTION 7.14 Jurisdiction; Consent to Service of Process.
(a) Each of the Grantors hereby irrevocably and unconditionally submits, for itself and its property, to the exclusive jurisdiction of any New York State court or Federal court of the United States of America, sitting in the Borough of Manhattan in New York City, and any appellate court from any thereof, in any action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document, or for recognition or enforcement of any judgment, and each of the Loan Parties hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees that all claims in respect of any such action or proceeding may be heard and determined in such New York State court or, to the extent permitted by law, in such Federal court. Each of the Loan Parties agrees that a final judgment in any such action or proceeding shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by law. Nothing in this Agreement or any other Loan Document shall affect any right that the Administrative Agent or any Lender may otherwise have to bring any action or proceeding relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document against any Grantor or its properties in the courts of any jurisdiction.
(b) Each of the Loan Parties hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the fullest extent it may legally and effectively do so, any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document in any court referred to in clause (a) of this Section 7.14. Each of the Loan Parties hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the defense of an inconvenient forum to the maintenance of such action or proceeding in any such court.
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(c) Each of the Loan Parties hereby irrevocably consents to service of process in the manner provided for notices in Section 7.01. Nothing in this Agreement or any other Loan Document will affect the right of the Administrative Agent to serve process in any other manner permitted by law.
SECTION 7.15 Termination or Release.
(a) This Agreement, the guarantees made herein, the Security Interest, the pledge of the Pledged Collateral and all other security interests granted hereby shall terminate when all the Obligations (other than unmatured or inchoate indemnity obligations) have been indefeasibly paid in full in cash and the Lenders have no further commitment to lend under the Credit Agreement.
(b) A Guarantor shall automatically be released from its obligations hereunder and the Security Interests created hereunder in the Collateral of such Guarantor shall be automatically released upon the consummation of any transaction expressly permitted by the Credit Agreement as a result of which such Guarantor ceases to be a Subsidiary.
(c) Upon any sale or other transfer by any Grantor of any Collateral that is expressly permitted under the Credit Agreement to any Person that is not the Borrower, another Loan Party or a Subsidiary, or, upon the effectiveness of any written consent of the Lenders to the release of the Security Interest granted hereby in any Collateral pursuant to Section 9.08 of the Credit Agreement, the Security Interest in such Collateral shall be automatically released.
(d) In connection with any termination or release pursuant to clause (a), (b) or (c) above, the Administrative Agent shall promptly execute and deliver to any Grantor, solely at such Grantors expense, all Uniform Commercial Code termination statements and similar documents that such Grantor shall reasonably request to evidence such termination or release. Any execution and delivery of documents pursuant to this Section 7.15 shall be without recourse to or representation or warranty by the Administrative Agent or any Secured Party; provided that the Borrower shall have delivered a certificate executed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower at least five Business Days prior to any such release pursuant to clause (a), (b) or (c) above, certifying that the applicable transaction is permitted under the Credit Agreement (and the Secured Parties, by accepting the benefits hereof, hereby direct and authorize the Administrative Agent to rely upon such certificate in performing its obligations under this Section 7.15(d)). Without limiting the provisions of Section 7.06, the Borrower shall reimburse the Administrative Agent and the Lenders upon demand for all costs and out of pocket expenses, including the fees, charges and expenses of counsel, incurred by it in connection with any action contemplated by this Section 7.15.
SECTION 7.16 Additional Subsidiaries. Any Subsidiary (other than any Immaterial Foreign Subsidiary) that is required to become a party hereto pursuant to the Credit Agreement (including Section 5.11 of the Credit Agreement) shall enter into this Agreement as a Guarantor and a Grantor upon becoming such a Subsidiary. Upon execution and delivery by the Administrative Agent and such Subsidiary of a supplement in the form of Exhibit A hereto (which
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supplement shall be delivered by such Subsidiary within the time period specified in the Credit Agreement (or such longer period as the Required Lenders may agree in their reasonable discretion)), such Subsidiary (other than any Immaterial Foreign Subsidiary) shall become a Guarantor and a Grantor hereunder with the same force and effect as if originally named as a Guarantor and a Grantor herein. The execution and delivery of any such instrument shall not require the consent of any other Loan Party hereunder. The rights and obligations of each Loan Party hereunder shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding the addition of any new Loan Party as a party to this Agreement.
SECTION 7.17 Right of Setoff. If an Event of Default shall have occurred and is continuing, each Secured Party is hereby authorized at any time and from time to time, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to set off and apply any and all Collateral (including any deposits (general or special, time or demand, provisional or final)) at any time held and other obligations at any time owing by such Secured Party to or for the credit or the account of any Grantor against any and all of the obligations of such Grantor now or hereafter existing under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents held by such Secured Party, irrespective of whether or not such Secured Party shall have made any demand under this Agreement or any other Loan Document and although such obligations may be unmatured; provided that any right of setoff exercised by a Defaulting Lender shall be subject to Section 9.06 of the Credit Agreement. The rights of each Secured Party under this Section 7.17 are in addition to other rights and remedies (including other rights of setoff) which such Secured Party may have. Each Lender agrees to notify the Administrative Agent promptly after any such set-off and application; provided that the failure to give such notice shall not affect the validity of such set-off and application.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have duly executed this Agreement as of the day and year first above written.
FTC SOLAR, INC., as Borrower and as a Grantor | ||
By: | /s/ Cathy Behnen | |
Name: Cathy Behnen | ||
Title: Chief Financial Officer |
Signature Page to Guarantee and Collateral Agreement
ACQUIOM AGENCY SERVICES LLC, as Administrative Agent | ||
By: | /s/ Veronica Colón | |
Name: Veronica Colón | ||
Title: Senior Director |
Signature Page to Guarantee and Collateral Agreement